THE    INDIAN    CAPTIVE. 

A  NARRATIVE 


OF   THE 


ADVENTURES  AND  SUFFERINGS 


MATTHEW  BRAYTON, 


THIRTY-FOUR  TEARS  OF  CAPTIVITY 


AMONG   THE 


INDIANS  OF  NORTH-WESTERN  AMERICA. 


CLEVELAND,   O.: 

FAIRBANKS,  BENEDICT  &  CO.,  PRINTERS,  IIEir.VLD  OFFICE, 

1860. 


THE   INDIAN   CAPTIVE. 


A  KAEEATIVE 


OF  THE 


ADVENTURES  AND  SUFFERINGS 


OP 


MATTHEW  MAYTON, 


IN  HIS 


THIRTY-F"  .,  .    tKS  OF  CAPTIVITY 


AMOXG  THE 


INDIANS  OF  NORTH-WESTERN  AMERICA. 


CLEVELAND,  O.: 

BENEDICT  &  CO.,  PRINTERS,  HERALD  OFF' 
I860, 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  i860,  by 

DAVID   BUR  £ S  , 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  tin 
Northern  District  of  Ohio. 


TV 
* 


PKEFACE. 


THE  following  brief  narrative  of  the  unparalleled  ad 
ventures  of  MATTHEW  BRAYTON  is  compiled  for  the  sat 
isfaction  of  those  who  wished  to  preserve  a  memorial  of 
his  romantic  history. 

Extraordinary  as  the  incidents  may  appear,  there  is 
abundant  proof  of  their  entire  truth.  Living  witnesses 
bear  testimony  to  the  circumstances  of  the  mysterious 
loss  of  the  hero,  and  his  identity  is  established  by  incon 
trovertible  proofs.  Numerous  circumstances  also  confirm 
the  account  given  by  him  of  his  adventures  during  the 
thirty-four  years  spent  among  the  Indians. 


THE  INDIAN  CAPTIVE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE     LOST    CHILD, 

That  portion  of  North-western  Ohio,  situated  to 
the  South-eaft  of  the  Black  Swamp,  was  but  sparse 
ly  settled  at  the  close  of  the  first  quarter  of  the 
present  century.  The  hardy  pioneers  who  had  left 
their  New  England  homes  to  open  up  the  Western 
wilds,  here  and  there  built  their  modest  dwellings 
and  tilled  the  few  acres  won  from  the  dense  forest 
and  luxuriant  prairie.  The  dusky  aborigines,  driv 
en  from  all  other  parts  of  Ohio;  clung  tenaciously 
to  this  comparatively  neglected  spot,  and  the  smoke 
from  the  log  hut  of  the  settler  rose  within  sight  of 
the  Indian  wigwam.  The  two  races  were  at  peace 
with  each  other,  for  neither  cared  to  convert  a  pas 
sive  neighbor  into  an  active  enemy.  The  Indians 
had  realized  their  inability  to  drive  back  the  con 
stantly  advancing  wave  of  civilization,  and  the  white 
settlers  had  no  desire  to  provoke  the  savage  retalia 
tions  of  their  dusky  neighbors  unless  compelled  by 
necessity  to  do  so. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  the  junction  between  the 
Sandusky  and  Tymochte  rivers,  in  Wyandot  county, 

5A 


8  Matthew  Bray  ion  t 

the  commencement  of  the  path  it  was  intersected  by 
a  track  made  by  some  logs  recently  drawn  from  the 
woods.  At  this  point  the  traces  showed  that  MAT 
THEW  had  stopped  in  doubt.  They  also  showed 
that  be  had  finally  taken  the  log  track  in  mistake 
for  the  regular  path.  Up  that  track  his  little  foot 
steps  were  traced  for  some  distance,  but,  after  awhile, 
they  became  fainter,  and  at  last  disappeared  alto 
gether.  The  woods  on  the  margin  of  the  track 
were  searched  in  vain-  for  traces  of  his  feet. 

The  Indian  trail,  before  spoken  of,  crossed  the 
log  track  near  where  the  footsteps  became  invisible, 
and  it  was  possible  that  lie  had  taken  that  trail;  but 
his  footmarks — if  he  had  really  fallowed  that  path, — 
had  been  obliterated  by  the  feet  of  passing  Indians. 
*  The  party  sorrowfully  returned  from  their  unsuc 
cessful  search,  and  met  the  anxious  mother  with 
heavy  hearts.  The  night  that  followed  w&s  one  of 
sleepless  agony  to  Mrs.  BRAYTON.  To  what  suffer 
ing,  or  dreadful  fate  her  little  boy  might  be  subject 
ed,  it  was  impossible  to  conjecture,  but  the  dark 
night  and  the  lonely  woods  were  fraught  with  dangers 
to  him  and  with  terror  to  her.  The  absence  of  the 
father  at  this  critical  juncture  on  so  long  and  distant 
a  journey,  aggravated  the  troubles  and  distress  of 
the  time. 

Morning  broke  at  last,  and  never  was  daylight 
more  eagerly  welcomed.  With  the  first  dawn  of  light, 
messengers  set  out  in  all  directions  for  assistance, 
and  soon  the  woods  were  astir  with  searching  parties. 
The  Indian  villages  were  examined,  but  the  Wyan- 
dots  professed  entire  ignorance  as  to  the  movements 
of  the  missing  boy,  and  joined  with  much  zeal  in 
the  search.  The  relations  between  the  BRAYTONS 
and  the  Wyandots  had  been  of  the  most  friendly 
character,  and  there  seemed  to  be  no  possible  reason 


The  Indian  Captive.  9 

for  their  interfering  with  the  peace  of  that  family. 
They  stated,  however,  that  a  party  of  Canadian 
Indians  had  passed  up  the  trail  on  the  day  that  the 
boy  disappeared,  but  could  not  say  whether  he  had 
been  carried  off  by  that  party  or  not.  Another 
night  came,  and  again  the  sorrowful  mother  met  the 
dejected  hunters  at  her  door  and  received  no  conso 
lation.  At  daybreak  the  parties  again  set  out  to 
search  new  tracts  of  country,  but  all  without  avail. 
Mr.  BOWE,  who  yet  lives  in  the  neighborhood,  acted 
as  storekeeper  of  the  party,  and  filled  the  bags  of 
the  searchers  with  meal  as  they  returned  from  their 
long  expeditions.  The  settlers  for  many  miles  around 
turned  out  in  the  exciting  hunt.  Days  lengthened 
into  weeks,  and  then  it  became  evident  that  all  far 
ther  search  was  useless.  Every  foot  of  territory  for 
miles  around  had  been  examined,  and  no  trace  of 
the  lost  child  could  be  discovered.  He  could  scarce 
ly  have  wandered  off  and  perished  by  starvation  or 
wild  beasts,  for  in  either  case  some  trace  would  have 
been  left.  The  only  inference  remaining  was  that 
he  had  been  snatched  up  by  the  party  of  Canadian 
Indians  and  carried  off  into  hopeless  slavery,  if  not 
to  meet  a  horrible  death.  Pursuit  now  was  useless, 
had  the  boy  been  thus  carried  off,  and  the  search 
was  reluctantly  abandoned. 

Meantime  Mr.  BRAYTON  had  returned  from  his 
journey,  and  the  sad  affliction  that  had  befallen  his 
house,  fell  with  crushing  weight  on  his  heart.  For 
the  sake  of  his  wife  and  remaining  children  he  bore 
up  nobly,  but  his  distress  was  keen,  and  every  straw 
of  hope  that  floated  by  was  eagerly  clutched  at. 
From  time  to  time  came  vague  rumors  of  the  boy 
having  been  seen  in  different  directions,  and  the 
faintest  hope  of  success  sufficed  to  send  off  the  be 
reaved  father  or  some  trusty  messenger  to  follow  up 


10  Matthew  Bray  ton, 

the  clue,  bat  always  without  success.  The  last 
information  that  assumed  the  appearance  of  proba 
bility  was  received  in  1829,  from  a  man  who  had 
been  traveling  among  the  Indian  tribes  of  Illinois, 
and  who  asserted  that  he  had  seen  among  the  In 
dians  of  that  country  a  white  child  whose  age  and 
appearance  corresponded  generally  with  that  of  the 
missing  MATTHEW  BRAYTON.  Without  an  hour's 
delay  Mr.  BRAYTON  wrote  to  General  CASS,  then 
Indian  Commissioner,  but  his  answer  crushed  out 
the  last  remnant  of  hope.  The  letter  bade  the 
anxious  father  to  renounce  all  hope  based  on  such  a 
rumor,  for  there  was  no  such  white  child  among  the 
Indians  of  Illinois.  On  what  authority  the  General 
based  his  assertion,  cannot  be  said,  but  it  is  more 
than  probable  that  in  this  he  was  mistaken. 

The  weary  years  passed  on  but  brought  no  com 
fort  to  the  stricken  household.  As  all  strong  im 
pressions  fade  in  the  course  of  time,  so  faded  away 
the  memory  of  the  loss  from  the  minds  of  men. 
But  deep  in  the  hearts  of  the  parents  remained  the 
image  of  the  lost  boy,  and  the  thrilling  scenes  and 
emotions  connected  with  the  search  of  him  recurred 
again  and  again  long  after  others  had  nearly  forgot 
ten  the  incidents.  The  father  never  forgot  him. 
His  "lost  MATTHEW"  was  ever  in  his  heart,  and  his 
name  was  often  on  his  tongue.  The  eldest  brother, 
WILLIAM,  could  not  forget  him,  for  the  mother's 
reproaches,  silent  or  spoken,  for  his  neglect  in  send 
ing  so  young  a  boy  alone  on  such  a  path,  sank  deep 
into  his  heart.  And  could  the  mother  that  bore  him 
forget  the  missing  lamb  of  the  fold  ?  The  paling 
cheek,  the  wasting  form,  the  decaying  strength  told 
how  deep  the  love,  how  bitter  the  anguish  of  the 
mother  for  her  lost  son.  If  she  were  but  sure  of 
his  fate, — if  but  one  rag  of  his  clothes,  but  a  parti- 


The  Indian  Captive.  II 

cle  of  his  body,  had  remained  to  assure  her  that  her 
darling  had  perished  by  wild  beasts,  or  been  slain 
by  still  wilder  men,  it  would  at  least  have  given  rest 
to  her  weary  heart ;  but  this  torturing  mystery  was 
too  great  to  be  borne.  So  the  years  dragged  sjowly 
onward,  and  each  succeeding  anniversary'  of  her 
boy's  loss  drove  the  sharp  grief  still  deeper  into  her 
heart,  until,  sixteen  years  after  the  loss,  she  tired  of 
this  world,  and  the  peaceful  turf  closed  over  her 
sorrows.  In  her  last  thoughts  the  memory  of  the 
lost  boy  had  a  place.  She  died  of  a  broken  heart. 
MATTHEW  BRAYTON  was  born  April  7th,  1818,  and 
was  therefore  seven  years,  five  months  and  thirteen 
days  old  at  the  time  of  his  loss. 


CHAPTER  II. 

MATTHEW  BRAYTON 'S  NARRATIVE. 

Stolen  by  Indians   and   Traded  from    Tribe   to 
Tribe — Siouxs — Sioux  Dog  Dance — Sold  to  the 
Snakes — Digger  Indians — Fight  with  the  Dig 
gers  —  Utah  —  Quarrels    with  the   Blackfeet — 
Flat  Heads — Snakes  join    Utahs,    Crees,    and 
Flat  Heads — Join  with  Copper  Heads. 
The  first  seven  or  eight  years  of   my  captivity 
among  the  Indians  were  so  full  of  changes  that  I 
cannot  distinctly  remember  the  events  that  occurred, 
and  I  am  compelled  to  trust  to  the  accounts  given 
me  by  the  members  of  the  various  tribes  who  were 


12  Matthew  Brayton, 

cognizant  of  the  circumstances.  From  their  state- 
merits  I  learn  that  I  was  taken  from  Ohio  by  a  party 
of  Canadian  Indians,  and  by  them  borne  to  their 
village  in  Canada.  The  only  motive  alleged  to  me 
for  the  theft  was  that  the  party  who  stole  me  had  a 
difference  with  some  white  families  in  Ohio,  and 
that  I  was  taken  out  of  revenge.  Among  these 
Indians  I  remained  secreted  for  some  time,  the  tribe 
fearing  to  let  me  be  seen  by  white  men  lest  I  should 
be  taken  away. 

From  all  that  I  can  learn,  I  remained  some  six  or 
seven  months  with  this  tribe,  and  was  then  sold  to 
a  party  of  Pottawottomies,  who  took  me  across  to 
Michigan.  The  compensation  obtained  for  me  by 
the  Canadian  tribe,  consisted  of  three  and  a  half 
gallons  of  whiskey.  With  my  new  owners  I  re 
mained  about  half  a  year,  when  the  Pottawottomies 
either  being  afraid  to  keep  me  any  longer,  or  having 
an  unappeasable  thirst  for  whiskey,  traded  me  off 
to  the  Paw-Paws  for  five  and  a  half  gallons  of  fire 
water.  I  could  not  say  how  long  I  remained  in 
Michigan  with  this  tribe,  but  I  was  at  length  trans 
ferred  to  the  Winnebagoes  of  Illinois,  my  value 
having  increased  with  my  age  to  the  amount  of 
seven  and  a  half  gallons  of  whiskey.  I  did  not  re 
main  long  with  this  tribe,  but  was  sold  to  the  Wis 
consin  Chippewas  for  nine  and  a  half  gallons  of 
whiskey,  and  with  them  remained  one  year  From 
the  Chippewas  I  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Siouxs 
in  Minnesota,  and  remained  with  them  nearly  three 
years.  During  my  stay  with  the  Siouxs  I  visited 
the  site  of  what  now  forms  the  city  of  St.  Paul.  In 
that  vicinity  there  were  then  seven  shanties  or  huts, 
made  of  poles  and  sticks  set  up  endways.  Two  or 
three  French  and  Dutch,  with  some  Indians  then 
occupied  the  place. 


The   Indian   Captive.  13 

About  the  ninth  year  of  ray  captivity  among  the 
Indians,  the  band  of  Siouxs  to  which  I  belonged 
made  an  expedition  westward.  In  the  course  of 
their  hunt  they  came  on  a  tribe  of  Snake  Indians. 
The  Snakes  and  Siouxs  were  generally  at  war,  but 
there  was  peace  between  these  two  parties.  Some 
differences  that  had  occurred  between  the  bands 
were  settled  at  the  meeting,  and  the  Siouxs  celebra 
ted  the  fact  by  a  great  Dog-Dance. 

This  dance  is  peculiar  to  the  Siouxs,  and  I  never 
saw  it  at  any  other  time.  The  manner  of  doing  it 
was  this  : — A  party  of  warriors  squat  around  in  a 
circle,  smoking  and  talking.  A  dog  is  then  taken 
and  its  legs  tied,  after  which  it  is  thrown  into  the 
circle  of  warriors.  One  of  the  "medicine  men" 
kills  the  animal  with  his  tomahawk,  cuts  open  its 
side  and  takes  out  its  liver,  which  is  cut  into  strips 
and  hung  on  a  pole  nearly  the  height  of  a  man. 
The  warriors  spring  to  their  feet  and  commence 
dancing  around  it ;  all  the  while  smacking  their 
lips  and  making  grimaces  as  if  they  were  anxious 
to  have  a  taste  of  the  delicious  meat.  In  a  short 
time  one  of  the  dancers  makes  a  grab  at  the  liver 
and  bites  off  a  piece,  which  he  chews  and  swallows 
as  he  dances.  Then  the  others  follow  his  example 
until  all  the  liver  is  eaten.  If  any  of  the  pieces 
should  drop,  the  "medicine  man"  picks  it  up  and 
carries  it  in  the  palm  of  his  hand  for  the  dancers  to 
eat,  after  doing  which  they  lick  his  hand.  As  soon 
as  the  liver  is  all  eaten,  the  warriors  sit  down  as 
before,  and  wait  to  see  if  another  dog  is  thrown  in. 
As  long  as  any  one  gives  a  dog,  they  are  compelled 
to  eat  its  liver  raw  and  warm,  and  no  one  is  allowed 
to  handle  it  except  the  "medicine  man."  '  Women 
are  forbidden  to  join  in  this  dance.  The  Siouxs 
think  that  those  who  thus  eat  the  liver  of  the  dog 


14  Matthew  Brayton, 

will  possess   that  animal's  bravery   and   sagacity. 

Before  the  meeting  was  over,  the  Snakes  took  a 
great  fancy  to  me,  and  in  order  to  celebrate  their 
new  made  truce  the  Siouxs  offered  to  trade  me  to  the 
Snakes  for  eleven  gallons  of  whiskey,  which  was 
done,  and  I  was  once  more  transferred  to  new  mas 
ters. 

My  new  owners  made  me  change  my  dress  and 
paint  to  conform  to  their  style,  and  I  was  adopted 
into  the  tribe.  An  Indian  who  had  lost  a  son  in 
battle  took  me  into  his  family,  and  from  that  time 
forth  I  was  told  to  consider  him  as  my  father,  and 
his  squaw  as  my  mother.  But  although  thus  made 
one  of  themselves,  the  Indians  did  not  fail  to  treat 
me  with  considerable  harshness,  and  I  was  compelled 
to  do  some  of  the  severe  drudgery  usually  imposed 
on  the  women. 

The  Snakes  at  that  time  hunted  in  Iowa,  but  in 
about  a  year  after  my  joining  them  they  had  repeat 
ed  quarrels  with  other  tribes,  and  with  the  whites. 
For  a  few  months  they  remained  in  Missouri,  but 
eventually  packed  up  and  struck  the  trail  for  the 
west  side  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Our  tribe 
hunted  through  Utah  for  a  while,  but  quarreled  with 
the  tribes  already  in  that  country,  and  therefore  we 
once  more  pushed  west,  and  crossing  the  mountains 
that  divided  us  from  California,  entered  that  coun 
try.  Here  we  lived,  for  about  five  years,  generally 
at  peace,  but  having  occasional  skirmishes  with  the 
Digger  Indians. 

These  Indans  are  a  wretched  and  degenerate  race, 
cowardly,  treacherous,  filthy  and  indolent.  Instead 
of  living  by  hunting,  as  was  the  case  with  our  tribe 
and  nearly  all  the  others  east  of  the  California 
Mountains,  these  obtained  a  scanty  subsistence  by 
digging  for  roots.  The  women  do  the  digging 


The   Indian  Captive.  15 

whilst  the  men  stay  in  the  lodges  or  are  playing  at 
some  game.  I  have  seen  hundreds  of  the  women 
at  a  time  out  in  this  employment.  They  car-y  on 
their  backs  heavy  baskets  of  the  shupo,  of  old  fash 
ioned  straw  beehives,  and  in  their  hsmds  long  slicks 
with  which  to  dig  the  roots.  Early  in  the  morning 
they  go  out  and  keep  at  work  until  evening,  when 
they  return  with  their  baskets  full  of  roots.  Some 
times  they  procure  enough  not  only  for  their  present 
eating,  but  to  lay  up  for  winter  use. 

The  men  among  the  Digger  Indians  wear  very 
long  hair,  but  that  of  the  women  is  cut  short.  Both 
are  nearly  naked,  and  filthy  in  the  extreme.  Most 
of  them  are  tatooed,  the  women  especially  display 
ing  in  general  a  large  number  of  designs  on  their 
person.  They  do  this  merely  for  ornament,  and  not 
for  the  purpose  of  showing  a  difference  in  rank  as  is 
the  case  in  most  tribes  where  the  custom  exists 

Their  houses  or  lodges  are  very  simple.  In  the 
summer  they  put  a  number  of  bushes  together  in 
the  shape  of  a  cone,  and  into  this  they  creep  for 
shelter  from  the  sun  by  day,  and  to  sleep  by  night. 
These  lodges  or  tents  are  more  designed  to  keep  off 
the  rays  of  the  sun  than  for  shelter  from  inclement 
weather.  Fdr  the  cold  and  wet  seasons  the  Dig 
gers  in  the  northern  part  of  California  have  a  dif 
ferent  kind  of  dwelling.  They  dig  a  pit  several 
feet  deep,  of  the  size  of  the  proposed  lodge.  Then 
they  drive  poles  into  the  earth  around  the  edge  of 
the  pit,  and  bend  them  over  so  that  they  will  meet 
at  the  top,  where  they  are  fastened  together,  making 
a  covering  over  the  pit.  They  then  cover  the  whole 
building  with  earth  to  the  thickness  of  several  inches, 
or  even  a  foot,  leaving  a  small  hole  at  the  top  to 
serve  as  a  chimney.  Another  hole  is  made  at  the 
side,  large  enough,  to  admit  the  body.  When  they 


16  Matthew  Bray  ton  t 

wish  to  sleep  they  build  a  fire  in  the  centre  of  the 
lodge,  then  creep  in  feet  foremost  and  lie  in  that  po 
sition  to  the  fire. 

The  Diggers  have  a  curious  way  of  marrying. 
When  a  man  takes  a  fancy  to  a  girl  and  wants  her 
as  his  squaw,  he  speaks  to  her  parents  and  talks  to 
her  a  little.  Then  he  lies  down  with  her^  and  if  she 
lies  still  they  are  considered  man  and  wife  \  but  if 
she  gets  up  and  runs  away,  the  courtship  is^  at  an 
end,  and  the  man  never  tries  to  get  her  again.  A 
Digger  man  can  have  as  many  wives  as  he  chooses, 
but  the  woman  can  only  have  one  husband. 

When  a  Digger  dies  they  burn  him,  with  all  his 
implements,  and  have  a  great  mourning  during  the 
ceremony.  They  believe  that  when  a  man  dies  his 
spirit  goes  to  the  East,  and  keeps  going  until  it 
comes  to  a  great  water.  A  large  boat  is  there  to 
to  t  tke  him  over.  All  the  good  get  safely  across 
and  go  to  a  very  large  house  where  they  eat,  drink, 
and  gamble,  until  they  are  tired,  when  they  go  off 
among  the  trees.  The  bad  people  who  go  in  the 
boat  reach  the  middle  of  the  water,  when  the  bot 
tom  falls  out,  and  they  are  lost  forever. 

Whilst  in  California  we  frequently  visited  what  Is 
now  San  Francisco,  but  which  was  then  a  small  vil 
lage  of  a  dozen  houses,  known  by  the  Spaniards  as 
"Yerba  Buena."  A  few  French  and  Spanish  tra 
ders  were  the  only  white  residents,  and  to  those  we 
carried  down  bear  meat,  buffalo  robes,  and  furs  of 
various  kinds,  together  with  small  bits  of  gold  found 
in  the  mountains,  receiving  in  exchange  blankets 
and  "snaky ey e, "  or  whiskey.  These  trips  were  made 
several  times  during  the  year,  but  were  finally  ter 
minated  by  the  occurrence  that  resulted  in  our 
leaving  that  part  of  the  country.  A  large  party  of 
Diggers  surprised  a  small  hunting  party  of  Snakes 


The  Indian  Captive.  17 

and  took  from  them  their  ponies.  A  number  of 
warriors  were  sent  out  from  our  tr'be  to  demand 
them  back,  but  the  Diggers  had  surrendered  the 
ponies  to  the  Spaniards,  and  now  asked  their  pro 
tection  from  the  vengeance  of  the  Snakes.  The 
Spaniards  granted  their  request,  and  ?/arned  our 
party  off.  As  soon  as  the  news  arrived  at  the  Snake 
village,  there  was  a  general  excitement,  and  all  who 
were  able  to  bear  arms  at  once  took  the  war  path. 
The  Diggers  fled,  but  were  tracked  to  the  coast, 
where  they  were  supported  by  several  Spaniards. 
We  attacked  their  camp  at  day  break,  and  a  desper 
ate  fight  ensued.  The  Diggers  are  generally  lazy 
and  cowardly,  but  their  numbers  far  exceeded  ours, 
and  they  were  assisted  by  white  men.  In  the  end 
we  were  victors,  and  our  party  mercilessly  toma 
hawked  and  scalped  all  within  their  reach.  Nearly 
a  hundred  and  fifty  scalps  were  borne  off  in  triumph 
foy  the  Snakes,  and  among  the  trophies  were  the 
scalps  of  some  white  men. 

The  result  of  this  ight  was  a  general  movement 
of  the  whites  on  the  one  hand  and  the  California 
tribes  on  the  other,  to  drive  us  out  of  the  country. 
For  a  time  our  tribe  stood  its  ground,  but  at  length 
it  became  evident  that  we  could  not  remain  peace 
ably  in  that  region,  so  we  once  more  turned  our  faces 
•eastward  and  re -crossed  the  mountains  to  Utah. 

During  our  stay  in  this  Territory,  which  did  not 
exceed  six  or  seven  moons,  our  principal  encamp 
ment  was  on  the  banks  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  near 
the  present  site  of  Salt  Lake  City.  At  that  time 
siot  a  white  man  lived  in  that  vast  wilderness,  though 
not  many  years  afterwards  a  large  city  sprang  up 
where  our  wigwams  had  formerly  stood. 

Once  more  our  tribe  became  restless  and  dissatis 
fied  with  their  location,  and  we  changed  our  hunting 


18  Matthew  Brayion, 

ground  to  Oregon,  remaining  there  about  two  years. 
Here  we  came  into  collision  with  the  Blackfeet  In 
dians,  one  of  the  most  ferocious  and  cruel  tribes  in 
existence.  They  are  always  at  war  with  the  tribes 
around  them,  and  make  long  journeys  for  the  pur 
pose  of  attacking  some  other  nation.  Several  skir 
mishes  took  place  between  our  bands  and  those  of 
the  Blackfeet,  in  which  sometimes  one  and  sometimes 
the  other  would  be  successful.  In  order  to  defend 
ourselves  from  the  attacks  of  the  Blackfeet,  our 
tribe  made  an  alliance  with  the  Flat  Heads.  These 
are  a  very  singular  race,  who  strap  boards  on  the 
heads  of  "their  children  so  as  to  change  their  shape. 
There  are  two  kinds  of  Flat  Heads,  those  who  have 
the  head  flattened  from  the  forehead  baek,  making* 
the  head  look  like  a  wedge  with  the  sharp  edge  in 
front,  whilst  the  others  have  the  sides  flattened  so  as 
to  have  the  point  of  the  wedge  upwards.  The  par 
ty  allied  with  us  were  of  the  former  kind.  A  part 
of  the  TJtahs  also  joined  us,  about  this  time,  as  did 
the  Crees. 

Our  associated  tribes  kept  going  farther  North, 
not  finding  any  place  to  settle,  owing  to  the  constant 
attacks  of  the  Indians  through  whose  territories  we 
passed.  With  the  Bloods  and  the  Blackfeet  we  had 
repeated  fights  until  we  got  above  their  country,  be 
yond  the  territory  of  the  United  States,  and  into  the 
country  of  the  Copper  Head  Indians,  who  roamed 
over  a  vast  extent  of  territory  extending  to  the  Es 
quimaux  on  the  North. 

Our  associated  tribes  united  in  the  North  with 
the  Copper  Heads,  and  here  the  whole  lived  in  un 
disputed  possession,  from  that  time  to  the  present. 


The   Indian  Captive.  I  $ 

CHAPTER  III. 

MATTHEW  BRAYTON'S  NAARRTIVE  CONTINUED. 
Government  of  Snake  and  Copper-Head  Tribes- 
Women  ivorked  hard — Marriage  Laws — Chil 
dren  taught  the  use  of  weapons  early— Funeral 
Ceremonies  of  the  Copper -Heads— Their  Re 
ligion. 

The  Snakes  and  Copper-Heads  are  ruled  over  by 
one  general  chief,  or  Inkupudia,  who  remains  in. 
power  for  life,  unless  deposed  by  the  vote  of  all  the 
tribes.  Since  the  union  of  the  tribes  there  has 
been  but  one  General  Chief,  now  an  old  man,  eighty 
yeaTs  of  age,  '  named  0 -wash -kali-ke- now.  He 
reigns  supreme  to  a  certain  extent  and  appoints 
sub  chiefs  to  govern  the  different  tribes.  These 
sub-chiefs  are  appointed  for  a  period  of  time,  and  not 
for  life.  The  General  Chief  makes  known  his  laws 
or  decrees  for  the  government  of  the  tribes  in  va 
rious  matters,  and  it  is  the  duty  of  the  sub-chiefs 
to  communicate  these  decrees  to  the  tribes  under 
their  charge.  The  laws  in  relation  to  stealing  are 
very  strict.  Any  one  proved  to  have  stolen  from  a 
person  belonging  to  the  associated  tribes  is  con 
demned  to  death,  and  is  generally  burned  at  the 
stake.  It  is  looked  upon  as  very  disgraceful  for  an 
Indian  to  tell  a  lie  to  his  fellows. 

The  men  dress  with  leggings  fastened  to  their 
moccasins.  The  leggings  extend  up  to  the  knees. 
A  tunic  of  furs  is  worn  about  ihe  waist,  and  the 
bare  place  between  the  tunic  and  the  leggings  is 
daubed  with  oil  and  paint.  From  the  waist  up 
wards  the  body  is  daubed  with  oil  and  paint,  and 
the  hair  is  worn  long,  extending  down  over  the 
breast  and  back.  The  women  are  dressed  in  a  some 
what  similar  manner. 


$0  Matthew  Brwyton, 

The  men  do  nothing  but  hunt  and  fight,  leaving- 
the  women  and  captives  to  do  the  drudgery.  The 
women  are  very  hard  worked,  having  to  collect 
wood  for  fires,  cut  up  the  game,  carry  the  heavy 
burdens  and  do  the  other  work  which  the  warrior 
considers  beneath  his  dignity  to  perform.  They  are 
very  hardy  and  ean  perform  with  ease  labors  which 
many  white  men  would  shrink  from. 

The  marriage  laws  vary  among  different  tribes. 
Among  the  Copper-Heads  the  marriage  is  for  life. 
The  Utahs  marry  for  twelve  moons,  and  if  at  the 
end  of  that  time  they  separate  they  caanot  re-marry 
at  any  subsequent  time.  If  there  is  a  boy  born  of 
the  marriage,  it  goes  with  the  father,  and  if  a  girl 
the  mother  takes  it.  The  Snakes  marry  for  three 
years,  and  if  after  that  time  they  choose  to  live  to 
gether  they  are  married  for  life. 

The  birth  of  a  child  is  accomplished  without  any 
trouble  or  assistance  from  either  doctor,  midwife  or 
nurse.  The  mother  retires  to  her  lodge,  or  if  on 
the  march,  steps  aside  and  spreads  her  blanket,  and 
in  the  course  of  two  or  three  hours  she  is  up  and 
about  her  accustomed  work,  or  on  the  march,  as  if 
nothing  had  happened. 

The  child,  when  young,  is  wrapped  around  with 
bandages,  strapped  to  a  board  and  earned  on  the 
mother's  back.  When  in  the  lodge,  or  at  any  oth 
er  time  that  she  wishes  to  take  the  child  down,  the 
board  with  the  infant  on  it,  is  set  to  lean  against 
the  wall,  or  is  hung  to  a  peg. 

As  soon  as  a  boy  is  able  to  run  about  his  educa 
tion  for  the  chase  and  the  war  path  is  commenced. 
A  bow  three  and  a  half  feet  long,  strung  with  the 
sinews  of  the  deer  or  elk,  is  placed  in  his  hand,  and 
a  bundle  of  two  feet  arrows,  with  flint  heads  and 
feathered  shafts,  is  given  him.  With  these  he  prae- 


The  Indian  Captive.  21 

tices  at  a  mark  until  he  is  proficient.  A  board  is 
then  set  up,  and  a  circle  about  six  inches  in  diame 
ter  is  described  on  it.  The  yonng  Indian  takes  his 
position  at  a  short  distance  from  the  board,  and 
commences  throwing  his  knife  at  it  with  the  endeav 
or  to  strike  the  centre  of  the  circle.  When  he  suc 
ceeds  in  doing  this  frequently,  he  increases  his  dis 
tance  from  the  board,  and  keeps  on  retreating  un 
til  he  can  strike  the  circle  with  UD erring  aim  from 
as  great  a  distance  as  his  strength  will  permit. 

The  tomahawk  practice  comes  next.  A  mark  is 
described  on  the  bark  of  a  tree,  and  the  young  In 
dian  throws  his  tomahawk  at  it  with  great  force, 
endeavoring  to  make  it  whirl  three  times  in  the  air, 
and  then  to  strike  with  the  sharp  pick  at  the  back 
of  the  ax-head,  so  that  it  shall  remain  sticking  in 
the  mark.  As  in  the  knife  practice,  success  at  one 
distance  is  immediately  followed  by  a  retreat  of  a 
few  paces,  until  the  feat  can  be  accomplished  at  a 
considerable  distance.  The  same  routine  is  gone 
through  with  the  ax  part,  so  that  it  shall  cleave  the 
bark  in  the  very  centre  of  the  mark.  At  about  ten 
years  of  age,  a  long  bow,  with  arrows  of  propor 
tionate  length,  is  put  into  the  hands  of  the  boy,  and 
when  he  becomes  of  sufficient  age  to  manage  it  pro 
perly  he  is  instructed  in  the  use  of  the  rifle. 

The  boys  are  incited  to  begin  hunting  and  trap 
ping  early,  -and  their  first  success  in  trapping  a 
beaver,  shooting  a  martin,  or  spearing  a  muskrat  is 
celebrated  with  as  much  triumph  as  is  the  first  scalp 
taken  in  battle  by  a  young  warrior.  When  about 
twelve  years  old  the  boys  join  the  hunting  parties, 
and  are  very  expert  in  the  use  of  the  bow.  Many 
widows  are  supported  entirely  by  their  sons  who 
have  just  passed  their  twelfth  year. 


22  Matthew  Brayton, 

The  small  children  and  the  very  old  people  are 
allowed  the  use  of  cooked  meat,  but  all  others  eat 
their  food  raw.  No  salt  is  used,  but  pepper  is  fre 
quently  obtained  from  the  Russian  and  Hudson 
Bay  trading  posts,  and  is  eaten  with  the  food  as  a 
great  addition.  Besi  ies  the  privilege  of  eating 
cooked  meat,  the  very  old  people  are  well  cared  for 
by  the  tribe,  and  are  allowed  to  remain  in  their 
lodges  without  being  called  out  to  hunt  or  work. 
Everything  is  done  for  them,  and  they  enjoy  perfect 
rest  until  their  death. 

The  Copper-Heads  do  not,  in  general,  bury  their 
dead  in  the  same  manner  with  many  of  the  tribes 
in  the  United  States  territory.  In  some  cases, 
when  a  warrior  dies,  the  dead  body  is  placed  in  a 
birch  bark  canoe,  in  which  are  also  laid  the  dead 
warrior's  rifle,  tomahawk,  pipe,  knife,  and  all  the 
other  articles  belonging  to  him  when  alive.  Two 
blankets,  and  provisions  to  last  six  months  are  also 
placed  in  the  canoe.  A  poor  miserable  dog  is  next 
procured  and  hung  up  by  the  hind  legs  to  a  tree  or 
pole  stuck  in  the  ground.  The  throat  of  the  dog  is 
cut  and  the  animal  suffered  to  bleed  to  death.  The 
object  of  this  ceremony  is  to  provide  a  dog  to  hunt 
with  in  the  spirit  land,  and  the  bad  blood  is  let  out 
so  as  to  fit  the  animal  for  its  new  sphere  of  exist 
ence.  A  poor  dog  is  as  serviceable  as  a  good  one 
for  the  happy  hunting  grounds,  if  the  bad  blood  is 
taken  out.  Some  powdered  roots  are  then  sprinkled 
over  the  body,  and  the  canoe  with  its  contents  is 
launched  on  the  river,  if  there  is  one  in  the  neigh 
borhood,  and  the  deceased  warrior  goes  on  his  way 
to  the  happy  hunting  grounds.  If  there  is  no  river 
near,  the  canoe  with  its  contents  is  placed  on  the 
branches  of  a  tree,  or  on  a  temporary  scaffold,  and 
there  left.  Sometimes  in  conformity  with  the  wishes 


The  Indian  Captive.  23 

of  the  deceased,  the  body  is  buried  under  the  roots 
of  a  tree,  or  placed  in  a  hollow  log,  to  wait  until 
there  is  some  good  company  to  join  in  the  journey 
to  the  happy  hunting  grounds. 

The  religion  of  these  tribes  is  very  simple. 
They  worship  the  Great  Spirit  by  standing  and  pray 
ing,  with  arms  uplifted  to  the  sky.  At  times  when, 
they  see  a  dark  storm-cloud  rising  up  the  sky  they 
address  it,  believing  the  Great  Spirit  to  be  hid 
within  it.  After  a  prayer,  on  some  particular  oc 
casions,  they  drink  "snaky eye"  or  whisky,  and 
dance  with  whooping  and  yelling.  They  do  not  be 
lieve  in  a  place  of  punishment  hereafter.  Those 
who  have  committed  crimes  in  this  world  will  be. 
punished  here  by  their  tribe,  or  else  the  Great  Spir 
it  -.vi'l  visit  them  with  sickness  or  trouble.  After 
?hia  life  is  over,  the  spirits  all  go>  to  the  happy 
bunting  grounds,  where  there  is  plenty  of  game^ 
and  where  no  enemies  will  come  to  disturb  them.. 


CHAPTER  IT. 

MATTHEW  BRAYTON'S  NARRATIVE  CONTINUED. 

Climate — Esquimaux —  Trading — Mode  of  Sleep 
ing — Method  of  Taming  Ponies  and  Elks — 
Weapons — Making  Pipes. 

The  territory  occupied  by  the  Copper-Heads  and 
the  associated  tribes,  lies  west  of  the  Rocky  Moun 
tains,  in  the  high  latitudes,  extending  so  far  north 
as  the  Russian  Possessions.  Their  hunting  grounds 


24  Matthew  Braylon, 

cover  a  space  of  several  hundred  miles,  and  the  nat 
ural  characteristics  of  the  country  are  much  diver 
sified.  Barren  mountain  ranges  alternate  with  wide 
plains,  fruitful  valleys  and  dense  forests.  We  met 
with  but  few  rivers  in  our  hunt,  but  from  the  Esqui 
maux,  and  a  few  stragglers  belonging  to  tribes  on 
the  east  side  of  the  mountains,  we  had  reports  of 
many  rivers  and  big  waters  on  the  other  side.  Our 
northern  head- quarters  was  about  three  weeks' jour 
ney  from  the  Arctic  Ocean.  To  the  north  east  of 
us,  about  two  weeks'  journey,  was  Big  Esquimaux 
village. 

The  climate  in  the  northern  part  of  our  hunting 
grounds  is  cold  through  the  greater  part  of  the 
year,  and  the  ground  mostly  covered  with  snow. 
The  trees  in  this  region  are  of  pine,  cedar,  white 
hemlock,  and  some  other  kinds.  During  the  great 
er  part  of  the  year  they  remain  bare,  but  as  soon  as 
the  temperature  begins  to  moderate  a  little,  the 
leaves  come  out  about  the  size  of  a  squirrel's  ear. 
They  continue  out  but  for  a  short  time,  when  they 
drop  off,  and  the  tree  is  once  more  bare.  The  elk, 
reindeer,  and  the  ponies  of  the  Indians  all  feed  on 
the  bark  of  the  trees,  and  the  moss. 

Snow  falls  repeatedly  during  the  year,  but  no 
rain.  There  are  numerous  storms. 

With  the  Esquimaux,  who  live  on  the  shores  of 
the  Arctic  Ocean,  our  tribes  have  formerly  had  skir 
mishes,  but  the  difficulties  have  all  been  settled,  and 
there  is  now  a  lasting  peace,  although  but  slight  in 
tercourse  between  the  races.  The  Esquimaux  are  a 
dirty  people,  generally  short,  thick  set,  with  matted 
hair,  and  afflicted  with  the  scurvy.  They  wrap 
themselves  up  in  furs,  and  live  on  any  kind  of  car 
rion.  They  will  eat  worms,  bugs  or  snakes  when 
they  cannot  get  game;  but  their  principal  luxury  is 


The  Indian  Captive.  25 

oil.  They  make  oil  from  the  carcasses  of  the  ani 
mals  they  obtain,  and  enjoy  it  as  a  ^great  luxury, 
They  live  in  huts  made  of  snow  and  ice,  and  when 
moving  from  place  to  place  they  have  tents  made  of 
furs  and  skins.  In  traveling,  they  use  sleds  drawn 
by  reindeer  and  dogs.  The  Copper-Heads  never 
have  sleds,  but  use  ponies  and  elk,  both  for  riding 
and  packing  game  and  other  burdens 

The  Copper-Heads  principally  trade  with  the  Rus 
sian  posts,  and  make  trips  to  them  several  times  a 
year.  They  also  send  an  expedition  twice  a  year 
to  the  Red  River  settlement,  and  from  there  to  S: 
Paul.  All  the  dried  meats,  furs  and  other  articles 
are  packed  on  the  backs  of  ponies  and  elks  or  car 
ried  by  women  and  such  captives  as  are  in  the  keep 
ing  of  the  tribe.  The  mode  of  packing  on  the 
backs  of  women  is  for  a  belt,  three  fingers  wide,  to 
be  passed  across  the  forehead,  and  lie  down  the 
back.  The  pack  is  placed  so  as  to  rest  on  the  bot 
tom  of  the  belt,  and  lie  on  the  shoulders  and  neck. 
The  bearer  is  obliged  to  stoop  forward  in  walking, 
and  the  back  is  frequently  bent  from  this  cause. 
Being  a  captive,  I  was  sometimes  compelled  to  car 
ry  a  load  but  about  fifteen  pounds  less  than  my  own 
weight,  and  the  squaws  have  to  c  irry  within  about 
twenty  pounds  of  their  own  weight. 

From  the  Russians  we  obtain  blankets,  powder, 
rifles,  and  other  necessary  articles,  in  exchange  for 
furs  and  dried  meats.  Among  other  things  pur 
chased  of  the  Russians,  the  tribe  possesses  a  com 
pass  and  a  watch,  enclosed  in  a  copper  case.  They 
have  learned  the  use  of  the  compass  sufficiently  to 
enable  them  to  travel  by  its  aid. 

The  lodges  are  made  of  poles  stuck  in  the  ground 
and  tied  together  at  the  top,  so  as  to  leave  a  hole  in 
the  centre.  Furs  and  skins  are  then  fastened  around 


26  Matthew  Brayton, 

and  made  tight,  except  at  the  entrance.  A  fire  is 
built  in  the  centre  of  the  lodge,  and  the  members 
of  the  lodge  creep  in  and  sleep  whh  their  fret  to 
the  fire,  and  their  heads  to  the  hide  of  the  lodge. 

In  traveling,  when  the  &now  is  on  the  ground, 
and  the  party  do  not  take  the  lodge  fixtures 
a!ong,  the  snow  is  stamped  down  and  the  blanket 
spread  on  the  hardened  snow.  On  this  the  Indian 
lies  down  and  rolls  himself  up  in  the  blanket.  With 
this  mode  of  sleeping  there  is  no  danger  of  taking 
cold. 

When  the  snow  is  very  deep  and  light,  the  hunt 
ers  wear  wide  snow  shoes  to  prevent  their  sinking 
at  every  step.  The  ponies  are  also  shod  with  wide 
moccasins  stuffed  with  hair,  when  the  snow  is  so 
deep  that  they  cannot  travel  with  ease. 

The  beasts  of  burden  used  by  the  Indians  are 
ponies,  elks  and  dogs.  Both  elks  and  ponies  have 
to  be  broken  into  submission  to  man  before  they  ean 
be  used  When  the  Indians  want  to  break  in  a  po 
ny  for  riding,  one  of  them  mount*  a  well  broke  pony 
and,  after  riding  around  for  a  little  while,  suddenly 
dashes  up  to  the  untamed  pony,  and,  seizing  it  by 
the  mane,  leaps  on  its  baek.  The  first  effort  of  the 
surprised  animal  is  to  throw  the  unexpected  burden 
over  its  head,  or  failing  in  this  to  rise  on  its  hind 
logs  and  throw  its  rider  backwards.  To  prevent 
either  of  these  purposes  being  accomplished,  the  ri 
der  clasps  his  arms  around  the  neck  of  the  pony  and 
crosses  his  legs  under  its  belly,  so  that  the  toes  are 
inserted  between  the  forelegs  of  the  animal.  By 
these  means  the  pony  is  rendered  unable  to  jerk  the 
rider  off'  in  any  direction.  Foiled  in  its  efforts  to 
dislodge  the  unusual  encumbrance  on  its  back,  the 
pony  generally  sets  off  in  a  wild  gallop,  in  which  it 
is  indulged  by  the  rider,  and  an  unexpected  difficul- 


The  Indian  Captive.  27 

ty  of  breathing  soon  brings  the  unruly  beast  to  terms. 
As  soon  as  it  gets  somewhat  tired  of  its  useless  ex 
citements,  the  rider  steals  his  hand  down  to  its  nose 
and  there  holds  some  sugar  and  salt.  If  the  animal 
prove  insensible  to  the  temptation  thus  held  out,  the 
rider  gradually  works  his  hand  up  until  he  gets  some 
of  the  mixture  into  its  mouth.  The  taste  of  these 
articles  is  generally  sufficient  to  subdue  the  strong 
will  of  the  pony,  and  to  complete  the  work  the  rider 
puffs  tobacco  smoke  up  its  nostrils.  It  is  now  thor 
oughly  broken  in,  and  will  sit  easily  under  a  rider 
or  follow  its  owner  like  a  dog.  The  Indian  never 
abuses  his  horse,  but  always  treats  it  as  a  friend. 

The  elk  is  of  great  service  to  the  Indians  in  high 
latitudes,  and  shares  with  the  pony  the  attentions  of 
its  owner.  The  method  of  catching  and  taming  elk 
is  for  one  hunter  to  throw  a  lasso,  or  running  noose 
at  the  end  of  a  long  line,  on  one  horn,  whilst  another 
hunter  does  the  same  to  the  other  horn,  The  lir.es 
are  then  quickly  made  fast  to  two  trees,  and  the 
hind  legs  tied  to  two  .other  trees  in  a  similar  m;»n- 
ner.  Whilst  thus  fastened  in  a  nearly  immovable 
position  the  man  who  is  to  break  in  the  animal  comes 
up  and  leaps  on  his  back.  The  ropes  are  simulta 
neously  cut  by  the  other  Indians,  and  the  e!k  dashes 
off  with  its  burden.  The  rider  embraces  the  horns 
with  his  arms  and  crosses  his  feet  below  the  belly  of 
the  animal,  as  in  breaking  ponies.  The  elk  pursues 
his  headlong  career  for  miles,  the  branching  horns 
preventing  his  dashing  among  the  trees  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  hurt  the  rider.  After  the  elk  is  thor 
oughly  spent  by  his  long  scamper,  it  is  treated  in  the 
same  manner  as  in  the  case  of  ponies. 

The  weapons  of  the  Snakes  and  Copper-Heads 
consist  of  rifles,  bows  and  arrows,  spears,  toma 
hawks,  hunting  knives,  scalping  knives,  and  war- 


28  Matthew  Brayton, 

clubs.  The  arrow  heads  are  made  of  flint,  and 
much  care  is  used  in  digging  up,  selecting  and 
splitting  the  proper  kind  of  flint.  The  pipes  are  al 
so  made  of  flint,  and  take  a  large  amount  of  patience 
and  labor  in  their  manufacture.  The  pipe  I  made 
for  myself  was  first  squared  out  from  a  flint  and 
then  drilled  with  a  steel  implement,  worked  by  hand. 
I  worked  thirty  days  to  complete  the  boring  process, 
using  bear's  oil  and  water  to  moisten  the  stone. 
After  the  hole  was  bored,  another  steel  chisel  was 
taken,  and  the  pipe  chipped  into  proper  shape.  In 
doing  the  chiseling,  the  pipe  was  placed  between  two 
other  stones  to  act  as  a  vice,  and  the  whole  pressed 
between  my  knees.  Then  I  chippped  away,  using 
my  clenched  hand  as  a  mallet.  After  the  pipe  had 
been  chipped  into  shape  and  then  ornamented  with 
cut  designs,  it  was  first  oiled  and  then  dyed  a  pale 
red  with  a  pigment  extracted  from  a  root.  A  stem 
of  cherry  or  other  wood  inserted  in  this  pipe  com 
pletes  it. 


CHAPTER  Y. 

MATTHEW    BRAYTON *S    NARRATIVE    CONTINUED. 

Hunting  Buffalo — The  attack — Cutting  up  the  car 
cass —  Packing  to  the  camp — Drying  the  meat — 
Buffalo  hunting  in  winter —  Trapping  bears  and 
wolves — Spearing  muskrats — Dressing  skins — 
Different  modes  of  fishing. 
Hunting  is  the  principal  occupation  of  the  Indians, 
and  their  only  means  of  subsistence.     The  climate 
does  not  admit  the  raising  of  crops,  even  if  the  In- 


The   Indian  Captive.  29 

dians  were  disposed  to  till  the  ground,  which  they 
are  not.  During  the  fall  the  camps  are  removed  to 
the  lower  part  of  the  British  territory  in  order  to 
hunt  the  buffalo. 

To  show  how  the  buffalo  are  killed,  I  will  relate 
my  experience  on  one  of  the  hunts  in  which  I  was 
engaged. 

Our  hunting  party,  with  the  families  of  the  hunt 
ers,  traveled  for  seven  days  before  reaching  the  tra 
ces  of  any  herds.  A  few  stray  bulls  were  killed, 
and  some  of  their  flesh  eaten,  but  it  was  too  hard 
and  tough  for  good  eating.  At  length  we  arrived 
at  the  place  where  there  were  strong  hopes  of  find 
ing  buffalo,  and  our  camp  was  fixed.  Early  next 
morning  the  hunting  party  rode  off,  leaving  the 
squaws  and  children  to  make  arrangements  for  pre 
paring  the  meat  when  it  should  be  brought  to  the 
camp. 

After  riding  a  short  distance,  we  came  on  traces 
of  a  large  herd,  and  then  rode  forward  in  high 
spirits.  We  soon  came  in  sight  of  some  bulls  feed 
ing  quietly,  and  beyond  them  could  discover  a  large 
herd  of  cows.  The  difference  between  the  sexes 
can  be  seen  at  a  longdistance  by  iheirmode  of  herd 
ing.  The  bulls  feed  singly,  and  are  scattered  over 
the  prairies,  whilst  the  cows  huddle  together  as  if 
for  protection.  The  bulls  are  the  most  savage,  but 
the  cows  are  the  fleetest  of  foot,  and  are  very  diffi 
cult  to  approach.  Their  flesh  is,  however,  more 
highly  esteemed  than  that  of  the  bulls,  it  being 
more  tender  and  juicy. 

On  reconnoitering  the  respective  groups  it  became 
evident  that  we  could  not  reach  the  cows  without 
first  breaking  through  the  herd  of  bulls,  and  this 
we  prepared  to  do  at  once.  Riding  slowly  up  so  as 
not  to  alarm  them,  we  approached  within  a  few  hun- 


30  Matthew  Brayton, 

dred  yards  of  them  before  they  took  much  notice  of 
us.  Then  they  ceased  feeding  and  commenced  bel 
lowing  furiously. 

At  this  the  signal  was  given,  and  our  fleet  ponies 
were  spurred  rapidly  towards  the  herd.  When 
close  to  them,  each  hunter  singled  out  a  buffalo,  and 
dashing  impetuously  past  the  animal,  discharged  an 
arrow  into  its  neck,  i  hose  whose  arrows  did  not 
fatally  wound  the  beasts  were  at  once  exposed  to 
imminent  danger  as  nothing  exceeds  a  wounded 
buffalo  in  ft-rocity  and  strength.  Rising  for  a  mo 
ment  on  their  hind  feet,  they  dash  furiously  at  the 
hunters,  butting  at  them,  and  attempting  to  upset 
horse  and  man.  Sometimes  they  succeed,  and  then 
the  hunter  suffers  terrible  wounds,  if  not  death,  from 
the  horns  of  the  enraged  animal. 

Five  or  six  bulls  were  killed  in  the  attack,  and 
the  rest  scattered  wildly  over,  the  prairie.  The 
sight  of  the  immense  herd  of  cows  in  the  distance 
excited  the  hunters,  and  prevented  them  from  stop 
ping  to  make  any  use  of  the  bulls  we  had  killed. 
We  rode  forward  at  a  moderate  speed  for  some  dis 
tance,  reserving  the  strength  of  our  horses  uniil  we 
should  be  compelled  to  use  their  speed.  At  length 
the  scouts  of  the  herd  saw  us  advancing,  and  in 
two  or  three  seconds  the  whole  herd  was  in  motion. 
The  first  movements  of  the  buffalo  are  slow,  in 
creasing  in  speed  as  they  go.  At  the  first  symp 
toms  of  alarm  our  party  raised  a  shout  to  encourage 
the  horses,  and  we  were  suddenly  flying  along  at 
full  speed,  the  horses  as  much  excited  as  their  riders. 
The  excitement  was  intense.  At  last  we  were  close 
to  them,  and  the  arrows  flew  thick  and  fast  into  the 
herd.  In  a  few  moments  we  were  in  the  midst  of 
the  press,  firing  arrows  and  using  spears  among  the 
animals  right  and  left. 


The  Indian  Captive,  31 

The  scene  was  full  of  wild  excitement  and  not 
without  danger.  Some  of  our  party  were  thrown 
from  their  horses  and  suffered  severe  bruises  and 
wounds  from  the  feet  and  horns  of  the  enraged  buffa 
loes.  At  last  the  signal  of  recall  was  given,  and 
our  party  reined  up  to  rest  from  the  chase  and  dis 
pose  of  the  spoils. 

After  dismounting  and  hobbling  the  ponies,  the 
hunters  rested  awhile  before  proceeding  to  the  work 
of  cutting  up  the  buffaloes  in  order  to  take  them 
home.  When  rested,  the  hunters  began  the  labor 
of  skinning  and  cutting  up  the  carcases.  The  an 
imal  was  first  placed  on  its  knees,  and  its  hind  legs 
stretched  out  to  their  full  length,  so  that  the  princi 
pal  weight  lay  on  the  belly  of  the  beast.  The  small 
hump  of  flesh  about  the  neck  was  first  cut  out  and 
carefully  placed  on  one  side.  The  skin  was  next  di 
vided  along  the  back  bone,  and  stripped  down  on 
either  side.  After  this  the  animal  was  cut  up  in  va 
rious  pieces,  all  the  best  parts  being  taken  and  the 
offal  left  for  the  wolves.  The  fat  and  tallow  were 
put  in  the  bide,  which  was  then  slung  around  the 
necks  of  the  packing  ponies.  Along  each  side  of 
the  pony's  back  was  placed  a  pole,  fastened  to  the 
animal's  neck.  The  foot  of  the  buffalo's  hind  quar 
ter  was  thrust  through  the  gambril  of  the  fore  quar 
ter,  and  the  quarters  then  slung  across  the  back  of 
the  pony  and  hanging  down  on  each  side.  The 
poles  keep  the  burden  off  from  the  sides  of  the  po 
ny,  and  prevent  its  back  being  broken.  The  other 
portions  of  the  game  were  carried  in  a  similar  man 
ner. 

When  the  meat  was  brought  to  the  camp,  the 
women  cut  it  into  long  strips,  about  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  thick.  These  strips  were  hung  on  sticks 
to  dry,  which  operation  takes  several  days.  When 


32  Matthew  Brayton, 

thoroughly  dried,  the  women  bend  it  up  and  tie  it 
into  bundles,  in  which  shape  it  is  preserved  for  home 
consumption  or  taken  to  the  trading  posts,  to  be 
bartered  for  ammunition  or  other  articles  wanted  by 
the  Indians.  Some  parts  of  the  buffalo,  not  fitted 
for  making  the  dried  meat,  were  dried  by  a  very 
fierce  fire  until  it  became  brittle.  A  buffalo  hide 
was  then  spread  out,  with  the  skin  uppermost,  and 
the  dried  pieces  of  meat  spread  on  it,  and  thrashed 
into  small  bits  by  sticks.  The  tallow  of  the  buffalo 
was  cut  up,  melted  and  poured  on  the  powdered 
meat,  which  was  then  worked  up  until  it  became 
well  mixed.  Whilst  still  warm,  it  was  pressed  into 
bags  made  of  buffalo  skin,  which  were  then  sown 
up.  When  cold  the  mixture,  known  to  the  whites 
aspemican,  becomes  as  hard  as  a  rock,  and  makes 
good  eating.  The  marrow  bones  were  boiled  in 
water  for  their  'oil,  which,  when  extracted,  was 
poured  into  the  bladder  of  the  animal.  One  blad 
der  will  hold  eleven  or  twelve  pounds  of  oil. 

Buffalo  are  frequently  killed  in  winter  without 
any  of  the  dangers  experienced  in  the  fall  hunt. 
The  alternate  thawing  and  freezing  forms  a  thick 
crust  on  the  surface  of  the  soft  snow.  The  heavy 
anima's  break  through  this  thin  crust,  and  plunge 
cumbrously  into  the  deep  snow,  whilst  the  Indian 
hunter  glides  easily  on  his  snow-shoes  close  to  the 
side  of  the  unwieldly  monster,  and  dispatches  it  at 
his  ease. 

Elk,  reindeer,  grizzly  bears,  wolves,  with  some 
other  animals,  are  killed  with  rifles,  or  arrows,  fre 
quently  with  the  aid  of  dogs.  The  dogs  are  of  a 
strong,  powerful  breed,  and  are  trained  to  catch  by 
the  ears  or  jaw,  so  that  the  fur  is  not  injured.  The 
elk  and  reindeer  are  very  difficult  to  approach,  hav 
ing  a  keen  scent,  and  show  fight  if  close  pressed. 


The   Indian  Captive.  33 

The  attack  on  a  grizzly  bear  is  also  dangerous,  and 
the  hunter  frequently  has  to  fight  desperately  for 
his  life. 

Black  bears  and  wolves  are  frequently  caught  by 
a  peculiar  trap.  A  young  sapling  tree  is  bent  down 
so  that  it  its  lop  is  but  a  few  feet  from  the  earth. 
A  rope,  formed  of  pieces  of  raw  hide  firmly  twisted 
together,  is  fastened  to  the  top  of  the  tree  and  a 
strong  double  hook  of  iron  or  steel  is  attached  to 
the  other  end  of  the  rope.  One  arm  of  the  hook 
is  lightly  caught  in  a  log  or  a  stake  driven  in  the 
ground,  and  on  the  other  arm  a  piece  of  meat  is 
firmly  attached.  The  bear  or  wolf  seizes  the  meat, 
and  in  its  endavors  to  carry  it  off  or  tear  it  to  pieces, 
releases  the  hook  from  the  log.  The  tree  top  sud 
denly  flies  up,  the  hook  catching  the  animal  in  the 
mouth  or  lip,  and  lifting  it  partially  or  completely 
from  the  ground.  In  this  position  it  is  found  and 
dispatched  by  the  hunter, when  he  comes  to  exam 
ine  his  traps. 

Beaver  are  trapped  in  great  numbers,  as  are  mar 
tins  and  other  fur-bearing  animals.  In  the  depth  of 
winter  the  muskrat  houses  are  sought  out  and  pierc 
ed  with  strong  and  sharp  spears  which  transfix  the 
muskrats  and  bring  them  out  on  the  points. 

The  skins  of  the  animals  killed  are  dried  and 
cured  by  the  women.  When  the  hide  is  taken  off 
and  brought  home,  the  women  scrape  off  the  flesh 
with  a  bone,  sharpened  at  one  end.  When  the  skin 
is  thoroughly  scraped,  small  holes  are  cut  all  around 
it,  and  strings  run  through  it,  which  are  then  lash 
ed  to  the  poles  of  the  lodge  inside.  The  fire  burn 
ing  the  lodge  dries  the  skin  in  one  night,  and  in  the 
morning  it  is  taken  down  and  folded  so  as  to  be 
packed.  In  dressing  the  skins,  the  grease  is  taken 
off  and  the  skins  dipped  in  water  containing  the 


B4  Matthew  Brayton, 

brains  of  a  deer,  after  which  they  are  boiled  and 
stretched  on  four  square  poles  tied  and  pushed  into 
the  ground.  The  skin  is  then  scraped  with  a  bone 
and  kept  before  a  slow  fire  until  perfectly  dry.  It 
is  then  dipped  in  the  brain  water  and  sciaped  dry 
again,  after  which  it  is  dippped  in  the  water  a  third 
time,  and  every  time  the  water  wrung  out  before 
the  skin  is  stretched  If  it  remains  hairy  or  stiff 
after  all  this  working,  it  is  drawn  over  a  cord  as 
thick  as  a  man's  finger,  as  hard  as  the  women  can 
pull,  and  this  softens  it  greatly.  The  skin  is  next 
smoked.  A  hole  is  dug  in  the  ground,  about  a  foot 
deep,  in  which  is  put  a  little  water  and  some  rotten 
wood.  The  skin  is  then  sewed  in  a  bag  and  hung 
over  the  smoke  for  about  ten  minutes,  when  is  ready 
for  use. 

The  steams  are  well  stocked  with  fish,  find  these 
are  caught  in  various  Ways.  Sometimes  they  are 
speared,  and  some  are  shot  with  arrows,  and  some 
caught  by  stakes  arranged  across  the  bed  of  the 
stream.  When  the  rivers  and  small  lakes  are  fro 
zen  over  in  winter,  a  hole  is  cut  in  the  ice,  and  over 
it  a  little  tent  is  made  with  three  sticks  and  a  blanket, 
so  as  to  close  out  the  light.  The  Indian  lies  with 
his  face  over  the  hole.  He  can  then  see  to  some 
depth,  and  when  a  fish  passes,  it  is  pierced  with  a 
short  spear,  and  brought  to  the  surface. 

There  are  various  other  ways  of  hunting,  trap 
ping  and  fishing,  but  these  will  serve  as  specimens. 


The  Indian  Captive.  35 

CHAPTER  VI. 
MATTHEW  BRAYTON'S  NARRATIVE  CONTINUED. 

Is  recognized  as  a  white  man —  War  dance — Fight 

with    Blackfeet    Indians — Tomahawking    and 

burning  captives. 

Nine  years  ago  the  winter  in  the  north  was  ex 
ceedingly  severe,  and  the  game  was  compelled  to 
seek  a  more  southern  latitude  to  get  something  to 
eat.  We  followed  them  down,  but  were  in  great 
danger  of  perishing  of  famine.  In  this  strait  our 
only  hope  was  in  obtaining  some  additional  supplies 
from  the  trading  posts.  A  large  detachment  was 
therefore  sent  off  to-  the  post  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  supplies. 
With  this  band  I  traveled. 

We  arrived  at  the  post  after  a  long  journey,  and 
were  received  with  kindness,  The  few  furs  and 
skins  we  were  able  to  gather  up  we  traded  for  pro 
visions,  but  we  were  still  in  great  want.  That  night 
we  camped  near  the  trading  post,  and  waited  to 
plead  our  cause  with  the  agent  nex',  day. 

In  the  morning  whilst  the  chief  of  our  party  and 
some  of  the  leading  warriors  were  talking  to  the 
ap,ent  and  explaining  to  him  the  deplorable  condition 
of  the  tribe,  one  of  the  traders  came  into  our  camp. 
Whilst  looking  around  and  talking,  he  came  close  to 
me,  and  something  seemed  to  attract  his  attention. 
Looking  me  in  the  eyes  he  suddenly  spoke  in 
French.  I  did  not  understand  him  but  he  immedi 
ately  addressed  me  in  Indian  language,  saying  : 
"  You  are  no  Indian. "  I  replied  that  I  was,  for  I 
never  remembered  anything  of  a  life  different  from 
the  one  I  was  leading.  He  insisted  that  I  was  no 
Indian,  but  a  pale  face,  and  demanded  that  I  should 
come  before  the  agent.  I  was  about  to  do  so,  when 


36  Matthew  Brayton, 

some  of  the  tribe  interfered  to  prevent  me.  An 
angry  discussion  now  took  place  between  the  trader 
and  the  Indians,  ending  in  my  being  taken  before 
the  agent  himself. 

On  my  entering  the  circle  where  the  chiefs  and 
principal  warriors^were  conferring  with  the  agent,  I 
was  at  once  brought  before  the  latter  by  the  trader, 
and  my  white  birth  stated  by  him.  The  agent  ex 
amined  my  features  closely,  and  endeavored  to  get 
from  me  by  conversation  whether  I  was  a  white  or 
not.  I  was  surprised  by  these  statements,  but  re 
plied  that  I  always  considered  myself  an  Indian. 
The  members  of  the  tribe  present  in  the  council 
were  greatly  disturbed  when  I  was  brought  before 
the  agent,  and  on  beiag  appealed  to  strongly  assert 
ed  my  Indian  parentage.  1  could  not  fail  to  remark 
their  alarm  lest  I  should  be  claimed  as  a  white,  and 
pondered  over  it  for  some  time. 

The  agent  was  quieted  for  a  time,  but  was  not 
satisfied,  and  all  at  the  post  continued  to  watch  our 
movements  narrowly.  .Next  day  whilst  getting 
some  provisions  from  the  post,  our  chief  was  again 
asked  about  me,  and  was  told  that  no  more  provis 
ions  would  be  given  the  party  unless  I  was  surren 
dered  to  the  whites.  "  At  this  the  chief  returned  to 
the  camp  in  dismay,  and  a  brief  council  was  held, 
from  which  I  was  excluded.  The  result  was  that 
our  camp  was  suddenly  broken  up,  and  the  trail  im 
mediately  struck  for  the  main  body  of  the  tribe, 
leaving  the  rest  of  the  needed  supplies  behind  us. 

On  our  homeward  march  we  fell  in  with  a  party 
of  Blackfeet,  who  wished  to  rob  us  of  our  ponies 
and  provisions.  After  a  short  skirmish  the  enemy 
was  driven  back,  but  continued  to  hover  on  our  trail 
in  order  to  find  out  our  destination. 


The  Indian   Captive.  37 

A  busy  scene  presented  itself  at  the  camp  on  our 
arrival.  Our  hunters  in  their  excursions  in  pursuit 
of  game  had  come  on  traces  of  the  Blackfeet  In 
dians,  and  had  followed  the  trail  until  they  discov 
ered  the  camp  of  a  large  war  party  which  had  evi 
dently  come  out  with  the  intention  of  meeting  and 
driving  us  back  to  the  north  again.  A  grand  coun 
cil  of  the  tribe  was  gathered  and  the  warriors  were 
giving  their  opinions  as  to  the  proper  course  to  be 
pursued.  Two  alternatives  presented  themselves, 
One  was  to  go  back  to  the  snows  and  starvation  of 
the  northern  winter,  and  the  other  to  meet  the  op 
posing  Blackfeet  and  endeavor  to  force  our  way 
through  them  to  the  hunting  grounds  farther  south. 
There  was  a  general  disposition  to  take  the  latter 
course,  and  several  chiefs  made  stirring  appeals  to 
the  pride  and  vengeance  of  the  warriors.  The  nu 
merous  battles  with  the  Blackfeet  in  former  years 
were  referred  to,  and  the  blood  of  the  slain  invoked 
to  stir  up  the  hearts  of  the  warriors  to  revenge. 
Finally  one  of  the  chiefs  sprang  to  his  feet  and  com 
menced  chanting  an  account  of  his  warlike  deeds, 
and  boasted  of  what  he  would  do  in  the  approach 
ing  fight.  Whilst  he  sang  he  danced  around  in  a 
circle,  stamping  fiercely  on  the  ground  at  every  step- 
Every  now  and  then  he  stopped  to  raise  his  war-cry. 

In  a  few  minutes  another  warrior  sprang  up  and 
joined  the  dance  and  song  to  the  music  of  a  small 
drum  and  rattle.  Then  another  and  another  leaped 
up,  until  all  the  fighting  men  of  the  tribe  signified 
their  intention  of  attacking  the  enemy.  During  the 
dance  the  utmost  excitement  existed,  and  the  pierc 
ing  yells  worked  the  warriors  up  to  mad  frenzy, 
Knives  and  tomahawks  were  waved  in  air,  and  ail 
the  movements  of  fighting  and  scalping  an  enemy 
gone  through  with. 

B 


£8  Matthew  Braytonr 

Next  day  a  large  war  party  set  out  in  the  direction 
of  the  Blackfeet  camp.  I  accompanied  the  party. 
In  a  short  time  we  struck  the  trail  of  one  of  their 
bands,  and  followed  it  up  till  evening,  when  we 
discovered  ourselves  in  the  vicinity  of  the  enemy's 
camp.  A  hurried  council  was  held,  and  it  was  de- 
eided  to  conceal  ourselves  in  the  woods  until  morn 
ing,  and  make  the  attack  at  sunrise.  .  After  placing 
sentinels  to  keep  watch  of  the  camp,  our  party  lay 
down  among  the  brush  and  waited  for  day.- 

At 'the  first  dawn  of  day  we  were  all  awake  and 
creeping  stealthily  towards  the  edge  of  the  wood, 
beyond  which  the  camp  ^Yas  pitched.  As  we  near- 
ed  the  opening  the  Blackfeet  discovered  our  approach 
and  raised  an  alarm.  In  an  instant  there  was  great 
confusion  in  the  camp,  and  their  warriors  were  lush- 
ing  backwards  and  forwards,  snatching  up  their 
weapons  and  attempting  to  seek  a  place  of  shelter 
from  the  coming  attack, 

At  this  moment  our  war  chief  blew  a  blast  on  a 
horn  carried  by  him,  and  at  the  signal  a  volley  of 
shot  and  arrows  was  fired  into  the  camp.  Several 
of  the  Blackfeet  were  killed  and  wounded,  and  the 
others  ran  to  the  woods  for  protection. .  Some  of  our 
warriors  dashed  into  the  opening,  cut  down  the 
wounded  and  rapidly  scalped  them,  raising  a  terri 
ble  war  wrhoop  as  each  bloody  scalp  was  snatched 
from  the  head  of  the  prostrate  foe.  As  soon  as  the 
work  was  done  they  again  sought  the  protection  of 
the  trees. 

The  fight  was  now  conducted  from  behind  the 
trees  and  every  one  fought  after  his  own  fashion. — 
Sometimes  one  side  appeared  to  gain  the  advantage, 
and  then  the  fortune  would  change.  Hours  passed 
away,  and  both  parties  were  very  much  scattered, 
but  the  Blackfeet  were  generally  in  retreat.  At  last 


'The   Indian  Captive.  89 

they  broke  up  and  fled,  when  our  warriors  returned, 
plundered  the  camp  of  what  little  was  left  in  it,  and 
took  the  trail  homewards  A  number  of  scdps 
were  borne  home  in  triumph. 

Three  captives  were  taken  and  their  arms  tied 
firmly  to  their  sides,  after  which  they  were  driven 
before  us  to  the  camp-  On  arriving  there  the  party 
was  received  with  shouts  of  triumph,  and  the  women 
and  children  made  a  tremendous  noise.  Some  of 
the  squaws  who  had  lost  husbands  in  battle  came 
up  to  the  captives  and  loaded  them  with  insults  and 
abuse,  shaking  their  fists  in  the  faces  of  the  victims 
and  acting  like  mad  women.  The  captives  remain 
ed  perfectly  indifferent  to  these  insults,  and  made 
iiO  sign  of  being  aware  that  the  women  were  in  ex 
istence. 

When  the  party  entered  the  camp,  the  prisoners 
were  tied  to  different  posts.  The  warriors  then  in 
dulged  in  a  great  rejoicing,  "  Snakyeye  "  or  whis 
ky  was  brought  out  and  drank.  The  warriors 
boasted  of  their  deeds  in  battle  and  divided  the  cap 
tives.  Then  they  sprang  up  in  a  wild  dance,  and 
menaced  the  captives  with  their  knives  and  toma 
hawks.  One  of  the  Blackfeet  replied  in  contempt 
uous  words  to  the  taunts  of  the  Copper-Heads, 
which  so  exasperated  them  that  several  of  the  latter 
at  once  rushed  to  the  posts  and  tomahawked  two  of 
the  captives.  The  third  was  saved  by  a  chief  of 
our  tribe,  who  proposed  that  he  should  be  burned 
instead  of  tomahawked. 

This  proposal  met  with  favor,  and  preparations 
were  at  once  made  for  carrying  it  into  execution. 
\Vood  was  brought  and  piled  up  around  the  victim 
until  it  ascended  above  his  knees.  He  was  then 
tormented  by  descriptions  of  the  horrible  sufferings 


40  Matthew  Brayton, 

that  he  was  to  endure,  but  the  threats  failed  to 
shake  his  constancy  in  the  least. 

As  s«  on  as  all  the  preparations  were  complete,  a 
large  number  of  warriors  and  squaws  encircled  the 
victim  and  commenced  a  wild  dance  Fire  was  ap 
plied  to  the  pile,  and  in  a  few  moments  the  fl tires 
ascended  around  the  body  of  the  captive  Blackf«ot. 
He  commenced  <  hanting  a  deathsong,  and  did  not 
sti  p  till  life  was  extinct.  The  dince  was  kept  up 
around  the  stak  ••*  until  the  body  was  consumed, 
when  a  yell  was  given  and  the  assemblage  dispersed 
to  th-  ir  lodges. 

Next  day  another  council  was  held,  and  it  was 
decided  not  to  go  any  farther  to  the  south,  but  to 
return  and  get  througn  the  winter  as  well  as  possi 
ble  in  a  territory  where  we  should  be  out  of  the 
Blackfect  range.  _,  Accordingly  our  tents  were  struck 
and  packed,  'the  ponies  loaded,  and  we  once  more 
took  the  northward  trail. 


The  Indian  Captive.  41 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MATTHEW  BRAYTON'S  NARRATIVE. 

Marries  the  Chiefs  Daughter — Tattooing — Pack 
ing  for  the  South —  Camping  Out —  Crossing  the 
Mountains — Skirmish  with  Blackfeet —  Wound- 
ed —  The  Red  River  Settlements. 
The  fact  that  the  traders  at  the  Hudson   Bay 
Company's  post  had  claimed  me  to  be  of  white  birth, 
was  communicated  to  the  principal  chief  after  the 
war  excitement  of  the  latter  was  over,  and  caused 
considerable  anxiety  on  his  part.     Nothing  was  said 
to  me  about  it,  but  I  could  see  that  the  old  chief 
feared  my  escape,  and  that  the  tribe  would  be  made 
to  suffer  some  punishment  at  the  hands  of  the  whites 
for  my  captivity.     1  had  always  considered  myself 
as  an  Indian  captured  from  some  other  tribe,  and 
could  not  yet  think  it  possible  that  I  was  one  of  the 
pale  faces. 

With  the  return  of  Summer  the  tribe  again  sought 
the  Northern  regions,  and  I  had  almost  forgotten 
the  affair  at  the  trading  post.  The  old  chief,  O- 
wash-kah-ke-naw,  appeared  to  have  taken  a  great 
liking  to  me,  and  in  September  of  that  year  (Ih51) 
he  gave  me  his  youngest  daughter,  Tefrouia  (Tame 
Deer)  to  be  my  squaw.  She  was  then  nineteen, 
and  a  handsome  Indian  woman.  My  own  name  in 
Copper  Head  language  is  Owah-owah-kish-me-wah. 
By  this  squaw  I  have  two  children,  Tefronia,  a  girl 
now  over  five  years  of  age,  and  Tululee,  a  boy  over 
two  years  old. 


43  Matthew  Brayton, 

After  marrying  his  daughter  I  was  kept  by  the 
old  chief  around  the  village,  and  was  not  allowed  to 
join  any  expeditions  in  the  lower  country.  Three 
years  passed  in  this  manner,  and  my  girl  was  born. 
The  tribe  once  more  moved  farther  south,  and  the 
old  chief  become  anxious  about  my  being  claimed 
by  the  whites.  One  day  he  told  me  that  if  I  went 
south  with  the  tribe  I  must  be  tattooed,  so  that  I 
could  be  identified  by  them  in  case  I  should  be  car 
ried  off  by  the  traders  under  pretence  that  I  was  of 
white  parentage.  I  did  not  consent  to  this,  but  was 
then  told  that  there  was  no  choice  left  me,  as  it  was 
the  will  of  the  chief  that  it  should  be  done. 

Next  day  I  was  seized  by  two  men  of  the  tribe 
and  made  to  lie  on  my  back  along  a  log.  I  was  next 
bound  down  so  that  I  could  neither  move  my  head, 
body,  hands  or  feet.  My  breast  was  bared,  and  one 
of  the  Indians  "came  forward  to  do  the  work  of  tattoo 
ing. 

First  he  took  a  sharp  knife  and  made  some  light 
incisions  down  my  breast,  so  that  small  strips  of 
skin  were  cut.  These  he  peeled  off  and  threw  on 
one  side.  My  agony  was  intense,  but  I  did  not 
wish  to  be  considered  a  coward,  so  I  held  my  tongue, 
though  the  pain  made  me  bite  my  lips  till  the  blood 
came;  other  similar  strips  were  next  taken  off  at  the 
distance  of  about  an  inch,  but  parallel  with  the  first 
marks.  I  now  suffered  tortures  and  was  racked 
with  an  intense  thirst.  The  attendant  Indians 
brought  me  water  and  poured  it  into  my  mouth  and 
over  my  head  to  keep  me  from  fainting. 

Parallel  strips  were  now  cut  at  right  angles  to  the 
first  incisions,  and  then  other  strips  at  right  angles 
to  the  second  series  of  cuts.  Some  other  incisions 
were  also  made,  but  by  this  time  I  was  almost  insen 
sible  to  pain.  During  these  operations  a  smooth 


The  Indian  Captive.  43 

stone  had  been  remaining  in  a  strong  fire,  and  as 
the  marks  were  all  cut  the  stone  was  taken  up  and 
applied  to  my  lacerated  breast.  The  pain  for  the 
moment  was  maddening,  but  the  effect  was  to  sear 
the  wounds  and  stop  the  bleeding.  I  was  now  re 
leased  from  my  fastenings,  and  sought  my  lodge, 
with  marks  on  my  breast  that  I  still  carry,  and  shall 
to  my  dying  day. 

After  this  time  I  was  allowed  to  go  with  the  rest 
of  the  tribe  in  the  excursions  to  the  southern  part 
of  the  territory  over  which  we  ranged.  About  two 
years  since  I  joined  the  half  yearly  train  that  left  for 
the  Selkirk  settlement  on  the  Red  River  and  for  St. 
Paul's. 

As  I  stated  before,  this  train  starts  twice  a  year, — 
in  the  Spring  and  Fall,  laden  with  furs,  and  brings 
back  supplies  of  various  kinds.  The  journey  occu 
pies  about  six  "moons"  each  way,  and  one  "moon" 
is  allowed  for  stoppage  at  St.  Paul's,  so  that  the 
trains  meet  about  half  way  on  the  journey.  A  large 
number  of  Indians  travel  in  these  trains  so  as  to 
fight  their  way  down  in  case  of  resistance  by  hostile 
Indians. 

Previous  to  starting  on  the  journey,  all  the  furs, 
skins,  and  other  articles  intended  to  be  taken  down, 
together  with  dried  meats  for  the  journey,  were 
packed  in  readiness  to  be  carried  by  ponies  and 
elks,  or  by  the  squaws  in  the  manner  already  de 
scribed.  When  everything  was  ready,  a  grand 
Council  was  held,  at  which  the  old  men  of  the  tribe 
sat  around  the  council  fire,  smoking  their  pipes  in 
silence.  Then  the  principal  chief  arose  and  ap 
pointed  one  of  the  subordinate  chiefs  to  the  com 
mand  of  the  party,  giving  him  in  a  few  words  some 
general  instructions  relative  to  the  policy  to  be 
adopted  in  dealing  with  the  whites,  and  exhorting 


44  Matthew  Brayton, 

the  warriors  attached  to  the  party  to  drive  from  the 
face  of  the  earth  all  who  should  oppose  their  pro 
gress.  Particular  charge  was  given  that  I  should 
be  kept  away  from  the  whites  as  much  as  possible, 
and  watch  kept  that  I  might  not  be  stolen  from  them 
by  the  pale  faces. 

The  old  chief  sat  down,  and  the  newly  appointed 
chief  of  the  expedition  rose  and  made  a  speech,  as 
did  some  others  of  the  tribe.  Then  there  were 
some  dances,  after  which  the  Council  broke  up  and 
all  retired  to  their  lodges. 

Early  next  morning  he  party  set  out  on  their 
journey.  The  ponies  and  elks  were  loaded  with 
packs,  the  squaws  carried  some  articles  attached  to 
the  straps  passed  across  their  forehead,  and  the  men 
rode  or  walked  in  single  file.  The  journey  was  long 
and  tedious,  day  after  day  passing  with  but  few  in 
cidents  to  change  the  monotony  of  our  progress. 
Hunting  parties  started  off  occasionally  in  pursuit 
of  game  for  the  support  of  the  band,  and  met  at 
appointed  places,  but  the  main  body  kept  advanc 
ing  steadily  in  the  one  direction. 

Only  four  hours  was  allowed  for  sleep,  when  fires 
were  lit  and  we  all  lay  around  in  our  blankets,  with 
our  feet  to  the  fire,  and  heads  outward.  There  are 
two  reasons  for  adopting  this  mode  of  sleeping  :  it 
keeps  the  feet  warm,  which  is  very  important,  and  it 
allows  more  people  to  sk  ep  around  one  fire  than 
would  be  possible  in  any  other  position.  On  stop 
ping  for  sleep  the  ponies  were  hobbled  in  such  a 
manner  that  they  could  feed  or  sleep,  but  could  not 
run  away.  Sentinels  were  posted  to  prevent  the 
camp  being  surprised  either  by  wild  animals  or  by 
hostile  Indians. 

As  soon  as  the  time  was  up  the  signal  was  given 
and  the  whole  camp  was  speedily  awake  and  ready 


The   Indian  Captive.  45 

for  resuming  the  journey.  A  hasty  meal  was  des 
patched,  and  then,  after  determining  the  c<  urse  to 
be  taken,  the  band  set  forward.  There  were  no 
fixed  hours  for  meals,  and  no  stoppages  for  that 
purpose,  but  each  person  took  a  piece  of  dried  meat 
whenever  he  become  hungry,  and  gnawed  away  as 
he  felt  disposed. 

The  country  through  which  we  passed  changed 
from  dense  forests  to  barren  pi  ins,  and  then  again 
to  rolling  prairies,  high  hills,  and  grassy  valleys. 
When  large  streams  opposed  our  progress  there  was 
a  halt  on  the  banks,  and  preparations  were  made 
for  swimming  across.  The  packs  were  disposed  of 
so  as  not  to  be  wetted,  and  then  each  animal,  led 
by  an  Indian,  was  brought  to  the  stream  and  swam 
across  to  the  other  side.  When  the  animals  and  their 
burdens  had  all  safely  been  got  over,  the  remaining 
men  and  squaws  plunged  in  and  swam  over.  The 
very  young  chi  dren  were  carried  on  the  backs  of 
the  swimmers,  or  floated  across  on  boards,  which 
the  mothers'  pushed  before  them. 

At  the  North  Pass  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  the 
band  crossed  from  the  west  to  the  east  side.  The 
crossing  was  the  work  of  time  and  difficulty,  both 
animals  and  Indians  having  to  creep  slowly  up  the 
rugged  heights  of  the  Pass.  Sometimes  we  were 
many  hours  making  half  a  mile  progress,  and  great 
caution  was  requisite  to  prevent  serious  accidents 
among  the  precipices  around  which  we  crept.  At 
times  we  wound  our  way  through  a  deep  gorge,  on 
either  side  of  which  the  enormous  walls  of  rock 
towered  far  over  head.  Then  a  toilsome  ascent 
brought  us  on  an  elevation  from  which  we  looked 
down  on  rugged  peaks  and  deep  clefts  below.  At 
length  the  difficulties  and  dangers  of  the  Pass  were 
over,  and  we  emerged  on  the  rolling  land  to  the 
east  of  the  mountains. 


46  Matthew  Bray  ton, 

Up  to  this  time  we  had  met  with  no  hostile  In 
dians,  or,  at  least,  none  that  attempted  to  molest 
us.  We  were  now  in  the  territory  hunted  by  the 
Bloods  and  Blackfeet,  and  were  therefore  not  with 
out  fears  of  an  attack.  On  the  second  day  after 
leaving  the  Pass  I  joined  a  hunting  party  and  set 
out  in  pursuit  of  buffalo.  The  party  consisted  of 
thirty  hunters,  all  well  armed  either  for  the  chase  or 
war.  A  herd  of  bulls  was  discovered  at  a  distance, 
and  we  rode  quietly  towards  them. 

As  we  rose  on  a  ridge  that  commanded  a  wide 
view  of  the  country,  we  became  aware  of  a  party  of 
mounted  Indians  at  no  great  distance  from  us,  in 
pursuit  of  the  same  herd  of  buffalo.  They  appear 
ed  to  have  discovered  us  at  the  same  time,  and 
both  parties  drew  up  to  reconnoitre.  In  numbers 
both  were  nearly  equal,  and  there  appeared  to  be 
little  doubt  that  the  opposing  band  were  some  of 
our  old  enemies,  the  Blackfeet.  A  short  council 
was  held  without  dismounting,  and  there  was  a  ques 
tion  as  to  the  policy  of  fighting  them  on  the  spot, 
or  of  falling  back  on  the  main  body  and  keeping 
prepared  for  the  larger  band  of  Blackfeet  that  prob 
ably  lay  in  our  course  towards  "the  Selkirk  settle 
ment. 

The  question  was  settled,  without  farther  discus 
sion  on  our  part,  by  the  appearance  of  the  Black- 
feet  galloping  towards  us.  Our  party  dashed  for 
ward  to  meet  them,  and  as  the  two  bands  neared 
each  other,  rapid  discharges  of  bullets  and  arrows 
were  made  by  both  sides.  I  received  a  rifle  ball  in 
my  instep,  and  was  thrown  from  my  pony  by  a 
Blackfoot  that  dashed  against  me. 

The  fight  was  desperate,  and  several  scalps  were 
taken  on  both  sides.  A  Blackfoot  warrior  singled 
me  out  for  combat,  and  for  some  time  we  fought 


The  Indian  Captive.  47 

hand  to  hand.  Severe  blows  were  given  on  both 
sides,  and  I  felt  faint  from  loss  of  blood,  having  re 
ceived  a  frightful  gash  in  the  thigh  from  a  toma 
hawk,  besides  an  ugly  knife  wound  in  one  knee  and 
in  the  calf  of  one  leg.  In  the  end  the  hostile  party 
was  repulsed,  though  with  severe  loss  on  our  side, 
and  we  retreated  to  the  main  body  of  our  party. 

Here  my  wounds  were  found  to  be  of  sufficient 
importance  to  require  some  attention.  I  was  lashed 
to  a  log  in  order  to  prevent  my  writhing  during  the 
process  of  dressing  the  wounds.  Thep gashes  were 
then  cleaned  out  and  washed  with  water.  Some 
kinnikenick  bark  was  chewed  up  and  mixed  with 
tobacco,  which  was  then  put  into  the  wound  to  stop 
the  bleeding.  The  washing  and  dressing  was  re 
peated  until  the  bleeding  had  completely  stopped, 
One  of  the  men  took  a  thin  buckskin  thong  and 
sewed  up  the  wounds  by  piercing  the  skin  and  run 
ning  the  thong  through  it.  Only  two  stitches  were 
made  for  each  gash.  The  pain  of  this  operation 
was  intense,  and  was  more  difficult  to  bear  than  the 
original  wounds.  The  marks  of  the  stitches  are 
still  visible  on  my  person. 

Whether  the  defeat  of  the  smaller  party  of  Black- 
feet  had  discouraged  the  larger  band,  or  whether 
there  was  no  large  party  in  the  neighborhood  at  that 
time,  I  cannot  tell,  but  it  was  certain  that  we  were 
not  again  troubled  with  them  during  our  journey. 
Occasionally  a  straggling  hunter  or  two  would  be 
seen,  but  they  always  made  off  before  any  of  our 
warriors  could  reach  them. 

We  had  now  reached  the  hunting  grounds  of  the 
Selkirkers,  or  colonists  of  English,  Scotch,  French 
and  half  breeds,  who  lived  on  the  territory  granted 
to  Lord  Selkirk  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a 
colony  there.  The  land  from  the  Rocky  Mountains 


48  Matthew  Brayton, 

to  the  Red  River  is  pleasant  to  look  at,  and  rich 
with  game  of  all  kinds.  Buffalo,  deer,  and  smaller 
jr;ame,  range  in  great  numbers  over  the  plains,  and 
the  hunters  and  trappers  of  the  Selkirk  colony  are 
scattered  in  the  season,  in  all  directions  over  this 
splendid  territory.  Soon  after  getting  into  this 
country  we  fell  in  with  some  trappers  who  were  re 
turning  to  the  settlements,  and  they  traveled  with 
our  train  as  far  as  we  went  in  their  direction. 

In  the  course  of  our  journey  with  them,  they  no 
ticed  my  appearance  and  spoke  to  me  of  my  resem 
blance  to  whites,  even  though  disguised  with  paint 
as  I  was.  They  became  interested  in  me  and  taught 
me  several  words  of  English,  which  I  learned  very 
rapidly. 

On  teaching  the  Selkirk  settlements  we  camped 
for  a  few  days  in  order  to  rest  awhile  before  striking 
the  Red  River  trail,  and  to  do  a  little  trading  with 
the  settlers.  Here  the  traders  who  had  been  teach 
ing  me  English  told  some  of  the  other  whites  about 
me,  and  I  was  visited  by  several  Selkirkers.  After 
conversing  with  me  for  some  time  they  summoned 
the  chief,  and  charged  the  tribe  with  having  stolen 
me  when  a  child  from  the  whites.  He  denied  it, 
but  the  Selkirkers  became  more  determined  in  their 
suspicions,  and  demanded  that  I  should  be  given  up 
to  them,  threatening  to  take  me  by  force  if  not  sur 
rendered  peaceably.  I  was  appealed  to  as  to  what 
my  wishes  were  on  the  subject.  So  much  had  been 
told  me  by  the  traders  about  my  having  probably 
been  stolen  from  my  white  parents,  that  I  had  be 
come  anxious  to  know  something  about  the  facts, 
and  I  frankly  said  so.  On  this  the  Selkirkers  be 
came  more  eager  to  have  me  left  with  them  but  our 
chief  dissuaded  me  from  consenting,  by  representing 
that  I  had  no  clue  to  my  parents,  even  if  it  was 


The  Indian  Captive.  49 

true  that  I  had  been  stolen  from  the  whites  but  that 
if  I  re  urned  to  the  tribe,  I  could  undoubtedly  get 
part  of  my  history  from  the  old  chief,  who  would 
also  probably  give  me  leave  to  go,  in  case  I  chose 
to  hunt  up  my  family.  With  this  I  was  content, 
and  the  Selkirkers  let  me  go  after  exacting  a  solemn 
premise  from  the  chief  and  principal  warriors  that  I 
should  be  allowed  to  proceed  in  search  of  my 
parents  if  I  felt  disposed  to  do  so. 


Matthew  Brayto®, 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

MATTHEW  BRAYTON'S  NARRATIVE. 

Selkirk  People — Selkirk  Trains— Trading  at  St. 

Paul— Return  to  the  North. 

With  the  dawn  of  day  we  again  set  forward  OR> 
©ur  journey,  taking  the  fled  River  trail  towards  St. 
Paul.  The  trip  between  the  Selkirk  settlements  and 
St.  Paul  occupies  from  thirty  to  forty  days,  and 
passes  through  the  battle  ground  ef  the  Siouxs  and 
Chippewas.  Several  times  we  came  on  small  par 
ties  of  the  Siouxs,  but  had  no  more  than  short  skir 
mishes  with  them,  our  numbers  being  too  formida 
ble  for  them  to  attack  us.  About  two  days  jour 
ney  from  the  Selkirk  settlements  we  came  to  the 
settlement  of  Oshawkapee,  inhabited  by  French  and 
half  breeds.  From  this  point  we  passed  over  a 
magnificent  rolling  country  interspersed  with  occa 
sional  woods  and  watered  by  several  streams. 

Whilst  crossing  this  country  we  met  the  Red  River 
settlement  train  returning  from  their  trading  joui> 
aey  to  St.  Paul.  The  train  was  composed  of  four 
or  five  hundred  ox  earts  in  single  file,  with  drivers 
on  foot,  or  riding  on  the  wagons,  hunters  and  guards 
mounted  OB  posies,  and  women  and  children  riding 
with  camp  fixtures  in  covered  wagons. 

The  Selkirkers?  wagons  are  of  a  peculiar  kind, 
ao  iron  being  used  in  any  part  of  their  construc 
tion.  There  is  but  one  pair  of  wheels,  having  fel- 


The  Indian  Captive.  61 

toes  about  six  inches  thick.  There  are  about  four 
teen  spokes  to  a  wheel,  and  these  spokes  are  about 
three  feet  long.  The  linch  pins,  axles,  arid  in  fact 
•everything  about  the  carts,  are  of  wood,  very  mas 
sive  and  cumbrous.  No  grease  is  used  on  the  axles, 
so  that  an  incessant  groaning  and  creaking  is  kept 
up.  The  body  of  the  cart  is  nothing  but  a  frame 
work  similar  to  the  woodracks  used  in  the  lower 
country.  Sometimes  a  tilt  covering  is  used  for  the 
wagons  that  carry  the  women  and  children.  Each 
cart  is  drawn  by  one  ox  fastened  to  the  shafts  by 
straps  of  raw  hide.  One  man  has  charge  of  five 
wagons,  a  strap  passing  from  the  tail  of  one  wagon 
over  the  horns  of  the  ox  drawing  the  wagon  imme 
diately  following  it.  When  the  driver  whips  the 
first  ox  it  starts  forward,  and  the  oxen  in  the  squad 
of  carts  attached  to  the  moving  wagon  have  to 
start  at  the  same  time. 

The  drivers  of  these  trains  are  mixed  French  Ca 
nadians,  English,  Scotch  and  half  breeds.  In  most 
•cases  the  women  are  Indians,  and  these  travel  with 
the  train  to  do  the  cooking  and  general  work  of  the 
camp.  When  they  camp  for  the  night  they  bring 
all  the  wagons  into  a  close  circle  with  the  shafts 
outwards.  Immediately  inside  of  this  circle  each 
-ox  is  tied  to  the  cart  to  which  it  belongs,  and  within 
this  inner  cicle  of  cattle  the  ponies  are  picketed. 
The  tents  are  then  pitched  within  the  whole,  senti 
nels  placed,  and  the  camp  composed  to  sleep. 

Salutations  were  exchanged  with  the  Selkirkers'' 
train  as  we  passed,  and  our  journey  was  again  re- 
-sumed.  At  length  we  arrived  at  our  village  a  short 
distance  from  St.  Anthony,  and  here  preparations 
were  m  ide  for  staying  one  month,  during  which  the 
iirading  was  to  be  dene,. 


52  Matthew  Bray  ton, 

In  this  time  our  furs  and  skins  were  taken  down 
to  St.  Paul,  and,  by  means  of  our  interpreter  were 
traded  for  whiskey,  powder,  rifles,  provisions  of 
various  kinds,  weapons,  and  such  other  articles  as 
were  needed  by  us.  During  these  tradings  I  prac 
ticed  myself  in  speaking  English,  and  could  soon 
talk  so  as  to  make  myself  understood.  I  held  some 
conversations  with  the  settlers,  and  become  more 
anxious  to  discover  the  facts  in  relation  to  my  sup 
posed  parentage  I  determined  that  as  soon  as  I 
went  back  I  would  demand  my  history  from  the  old 
chief,  and  if  I  could  obtain  any  trace  from  him,  I 
would  then  prosecute  the  search  after  my  parents. 

When  the  trading  was  over  and  the  supplies 
brought  back  to  the  camp,  there  was  a  grand  feast 
given,  and  the  camp  became  a  scene  of  drunken 
debauchery  for  several  days.  Whiskey  was  drunk 
in  great  quantities,  and  many  quarrels  took  place 
between  the  men.  As  they  had  taken  the  precau 
tion  of  putting  away  their  weapons  before  the  drink 
ing  began,  no  one  was  killed  in  the  quarrels. 

At  length  our  time  was  up,  the  Indians  got  over 
their  debauch,  and  everything  was  made  ready  for  the 
return  trip.  We  were  soon  on  our  way,  and  march 
ing  with  our  faces  to  the  North. 

The  journey  to  our  northern  headquarters  had  no 
particular  incident  to  interest  me,  my  mind  being  now 
full  of  the  idea  that  I  had  white  relatives  and  friends, 
and  that  the  savage  life  I  had  led  for  so  many  years 
was  not  the  one  for  which  I  was  born.  I  longed  to 
reach  our  village  once  more,  that  I  might  question 
the  old  chief  as  to  my  history.  At  last  we  reached 
the  main  body  of  our  tribe.  I  was  rejoiced  to  meet 
my  Tefronia  and  the  children  once  more,  but  at  the 
same  time  a  new  feeling  had  entered  my  breast.  I 
waited  impatiently  two  or  three  aays  until  the  re- 


The  Indian  Captive.  53 

joicings  caused  by  our  return  should  have  passed 
away,  and  then  I  sought  out  the  venerable  chief, 
0-wash  kah-ke-naw,  now  over  eighty  years  old,  and 
begged  him  to  tell  me  truly  the  secret  of  my  birth. 

For  some  time  the  chief  bade  me  go  back  to  my 
lodge  and  be  c  ntent  with  what  I  already  knew,  but, 
finding  that  I  was  resolute  in  discovering  the  facts, 
he  told  me  to  await  a  few  days  in  patience,  and  then 
he  would  give  his  decision.  I  returned  to  my  lodge 
in  much  agitation,  for  it  was  evident  that  the  chief 
knew  something  that  had  hitherto  been  concealed 
from  me.  I  had  been  so  long  accustomed  to  savage 
life  that  I  remembered  no  other. 

A  council  of  the  leading  chiefs  only  called  on  the 
following  day,  which  1  rightly  considered  was  to 
consult  on  the  course  to  be  pursued  in  respect  to  my 
demand.  At  last  1  was  summoned  before  the  great 
chief  and  a  few  leading  warriors,  and  was  instructed 
as  to  the  course  allotted  for  me. 

I  was  then  informed  that  when  a  child  I  had  been 
stolen  from  the  whites  by  a  band  of  Canadian  In 
dians  who  had  by  this  course  revenged  themselves 
on  the  whites  for  some  real  or  fancied  wrongs  ;  that 
I  had  passed  through  the  hands  of  several  tribes  and 
had  at  last,  as  I  already  knew,  been  sold  by  the 
Siouxs  to  the  Snakes,  and  remained  with  them  until 
their  union  with  the  Copper  Heads  The  decision 
of  the  head  men  of  the  tribe  was  that  I  should  join 
the  train  about  to  set  out  out  for  the  settlements, 
and  should  then  proceed  in  company  with  a  few 
picked  warriors,  to  visit  the  remnants  of  the  tribes 
in  whose  possession  I  had  once  been,  in  order  to 
learn  more  of  my  former  history.  At  the  same  time 
I  was  8wom  to  return  to  the  tribe  within  a  year  af 
ter  I  left  the  train  at  St.  Paul,  and  to  ensure  the 
fulfilment  of  this  condition,  my  wife  and  children 


54  Matthew  Brayton, 

were  to  be  retained  in  the  old  chief's  family  at  the 
headquarters  of  the  tribe.  To  these  conditions  I 
freely  consented,  and  waited  eagerly  for  the  day 
when  I  should  set  out  on  my  journey. 

At  last  the  day  arrived  and  I  took  a  farewell  of 
my  wife  and  children.  The  thought  of  them  check 
ed  little  a  ray  eagerness  to  set  out,  but  at  length  I 
left  them,  fully  intending  to  return  as  soon  as  I 
could  discover  something  of  my  former  history. 


The  Indinn  Captive,  55 


,       CHAPTER  IX. 
MATTHEW  BRAYTON'S  NARRATIVE. 

Heturn  to  St.  Paul—  SicJc  at  Chicago — Sets  out  in 
Search  of  his  Parents — Reaches  Cleveland — 
Gets  his  Story  Printed — Visits  Warren,  0. — 
Attends  Camp  Meeting — Experiences  Eeligion — 
Readies  Sugar  Grove. 

The  snows  of  winter  had  begun  to  fall  when  our 
party  set  out  on  the  route  I  had  so  recently  travel 
ed.  The  present  company  was  placed  under  com 
mand  of  a  son  of  the  principal  chief,  he  being  also 
the  brother  of  my  wife.  There  is  no  reason  for 
again  describing  the  route,  as  we  traveled  in  the 
same  trail  that  we  pursued  with  the  former  party, 
and  this  time  there  were  no  incidents  of  consequence 
to  diversify  the  monotony  of  the  progress.  About 
the  beginning  of  April,  1869,  we  reached  our  camp 
ing  ground  near  §t.  Anthony,  and  on  the  tenth  of 
that  month  I  arrived  with  a  detachment  of  the  tribe 
at  St.  Paul.  We  remained  here  a  few  days,  making 
enquiries  of  the  Siouxs  and  Chippewas  that  occa 
sionally  came  in  to  trade,  and  from  them  I  obtained 
a  clue  to  farther  discoveries. 

On^the  16th  of  April  I  obtained  leave  from  the 
chief  to  set  out  on  investigations^  promising  faith 
fully  to  return  to  St.  Paul  in  July,  when  the  train 
would  be  ready  to  return. 

To  aid  me  in  my  researches  I  was  accompanied  part 
of  the  way  by  the  chief  himself,  and  some  members 


56  Matthew  Brayton, 

of  the  tribe,  and  our  party  was  furnished  with  three 
ponies  and  five  clogs.  In  pursuance  to  the  informa 
tion  obtained  from  the  Siouxs  and  Chippewas  we 
proceeded  in  search  of  a  party  of  Winnebagoes 
said  to  be  located  in  Northern  Wisconsin.  After 
traveling  some  days  days  we  reached  the  Wisconsin 
river,  and  following  it  towards  its  source  came  on 
the  Winnebagoes,  who  were  making  sugar  in  the 
woods.  From  them  I  obtained  the  particulars  of 
my  purchase  by  them  from  the  Paw  Paws,  and  was 
directed  to  a  family  yet  living  in  Michigan  who 
could  probably  give  me  some  farther  information. 

Filled  with  hope  I  started,  in  company  with  my 
brother-in-law  and  the  other  Indians,  for  Chicago. 
We  traveled  through  the  woods  and  across  thecoun- 
try,  I  acting  as  interpreter,  being  now  able  to  speak 
English  with  tolerable  proficiency.  Before  reaching 
that  city  I  was  taken  sick,  and  on  arriving  there  I 
fell  into  the  hands  of  some  sympathizing  persons 
who  placed  me  under  medical  care.  My  escort, 
finding  that  I  had  become  so  sick  that  I  could 
neither  prosecute  my  researches  for  some  time,  nor 
return  with  them,  quitted  me  and  returned  to  St. 
Paul,  leaving  me  only  my  faithful  dog,  Nawah. 

1  was  very  sick  and  do  not  remember  much  for 
two  or  three  weeks,  when  I  found  myself  in  a  hos 
pital,  with  my  long  hair  cut  off  close  to  my  head, 
and  the  paint  scrubbed  from  my  skin.  To  get  it 
off  they  had  used  hot  water,  soap  and  sand,  and  in 
the  process  had  transformed  me  from  an  Indian  to  a 
white  man.  I  remained  in  the  hospital  for  'more 
than  five  weeks,  and  then  I  was  discharged  as  cured, 
though  still  very  weak. 

On  letting  me  go  they  gave  me  a  suit  of  white 
men's  clothing  instead  of  my  Indian  costume,  leav 
ing  me  nothing  but  my  stone  pipe  and  my  scalping 


The  Indian  Captive.  5t 

knife.  Nawah  and  I  at  once  set  out  on  onr  adven 
tures,  and  ray  steps  were  directed  towards  the  place 
where  the  Paw  Paw  family  was  said  to  reside.  I 
found  them  after  walking  for  two  days,  and  then  was 
directed  to  a  small  village  of  Pottawottomies  in 
Branch  county,  Michigan.  I  walked  to  tho  place 
described,  sleeping  in  the  woods  at  night  as  had 
been  customary  with  me,  but  I  soon  found  that  I 
could  no  longer  do  so  with  safety.  With  my  long 
hair  cut  off,  and  without  my  blanket  and  furs,  I  was 
unprepared  for  camping  out.  The  result  was  that  I 
caught  a  severe  inflammation  in  my  eyes  that  in 
creased  to  an  extent  threatening  my  sight.  I  could 
no  longer  bear  the  light,  and  had  to  walk  with  my 
head  down. 

On  reaching  the  Pottowottamies  I  found  they  con 
sisted  of  four  families  and  their  chief,  Mr.  MAC&WA- 
GOR.  They  had  settled  down  to  civilized  life,  and 
were  living  as  farmers.  Mr.  MACGWAGOR  remem 
bered  the  whole  transaction  in  relation  to  my  pur 
chase  from  the  Canadian  Indians,  he  having  been 
present  at  the  transfer.  He  said  the  Canadian  In 
dians  had  stated  at  the  time  that  they  had  taken  me 
from  the  south  side  of  Lake  Erie,  and  that,  from 
their  description,  the  party  had  probably  brought 
me  from  Ohio,  as  they  spoke  of  having  crossed  the 
Sandusky  river  during  the  journey  on  which  they 
fell  in  with  me. 

On  learning  thia  I  set  out  for  Detroit  and  crossed 
over  into  Canada,  but  without  obtaining  much  far 
ther  information  among  the  few  semi  civilized  In 
dians  and  half  breeds  that  I  met  with  there.  All 
I  could  gather  was  that  I  probably  been  taken  from 
somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of  Cleveland. 

I  now  retraced  my  steps  to  Detroit,  and  proceed 
ed  into  Ohio,  telling  my  story  as  I  went,  and  re-' 


68  Matthew  Bray  ton, 

questing  information.  At  Fremont  I  fell  in  with  a 
man  who  listened  to  my  story  with  attention  and 
remarked  that  he  had  formerly  heard  of  a  family 
named  TODD,  who  had  lost  a  little  boy  from  the 
neighborhood  of  Cleveland  a  number  of  years  ago. 
Acting  under  his  suggestions,  on  the  following  day, 
I  got  on  the  railroad  train  and  came  to  Cleveland, 
where  I  arrived  in  the  latter  part  of  August. 

I  was  in  Cleveland  about  one  day,  making  en 
quiries  relative  to  the  TODD  family,  and  telling  my 
story,  but  without  getting  any  information  that  was 
of  use.  The  TODD  family  had  removed  many  years 
since,  and  I  could  not  learn  their  whereabouts.  I 
had  begun  to  despair  of  ever  finding  traces  of  my 
parents,  when  a  friendly  colored  man  who  had  met 
me  and  learned  my  story,  took  me  to  the  office  of 
the  Cleveland  Daily  Herald,  for  the  purpose  of 
telling  my  story  to  the  editors.  We  succeeded  in 
finding  one  of  them,  Mr.  J.  H.  A.  BONE,  in  the  office, 
together  with  another  gentleman.  I  told  my  story 
to  them,  and  was  cross-questioned  by  them  very 
closely.  In  the  end  I  was  directed  to  an  old  citizen 
of  the  place  for  the  purpose  of  making  inquiries, 
and  was  told  to  call  again  and  tell  the  result. 

The  person  to  whom  I  was  directed  was  out  of 
town,  and  I  learned  nothing  farther  that  night. 
Several  persons  took  considerable  interest  in  my 
story,  and  wished  me  well  in  myjourneyings.  Next 
morning  I  was  on  the  street  when  I  saw  some  furs 
and  other  articles  of  Esquimaux  dress  at  the  door 
of  a  building,  and  was  told  that  a  Panorama  of  the 
Arctic  Regions  was  on  exhibition,  and  that  one  of 
the  men  belonging  to  it — THOMAS  HICKEY — had 
been  in  the  far  North.  I  went  up  to  see  him,  and 
to  him  and  the  proprietor,  Mr.  LA  RUE,  told  my 
story. 


The   Indian  Captive.  59 

I  then  accompanied  Mr.  LA  RUE  to  the  office  of 
the  Herald,  and  there  I  again  met  Mr.  BONE,  who 
made  me  repeat  my  story  and  then  printed  it  with  a 
request  that  any  person  possessing  information  of 
probable  use  to  the  ' 'Indian  captive,"  would  at  once 
furnish  it. 

The  interest  taken  in  my  story  by  the  editors  of 
the  Cleveland  Herald  has  been  the  means  of  my 
return  to  my  relatives. 

I  remained  in  Cleveland  several  days,  and  my 
story  excited  much  interest.  Some  persons  furnish 
ed  me  with  portions  of  clothing  of  which  I  stood 
in  need,  and  I  was  furnished  with  food  and  sleeping 
room  at  one  of  the  hotels.  The  people  at  the  house 
were  surprised  at  my  refusal  to  sleep  in  a  bed  and 
to  eat  cooked  meat  or  anything  that  had  salt  in  it, 
but  I  could  not  endure  the  method  of  eating  or 
sleeping  used  by  civilized  white  people. 

In  a  few  days  I  learned  that  some  persons  in 
Warren,  O. ,  could  probably  give  me  some  informa 
tion,  and  thither  I  went,  the  Cleveland  and  Maho- 
ning  Railroad  Company  taking  me  without  my 
paying  fare.  On  arriving  there  I  found  th.at  the 
people  to  whom  I  was  directed  had  gone  out  of 
town  to  attend  a  Camp  Meeting  in  Mahoning  coun 
ty.  Some  persons  going  to  the  meeting  invited  me 
to  accompany  them,  and  in  their  company  I  arrived 
at  the  Camp  Meeting. 

A  short  time  sufficed  to  convince  me  that  I  had 
got  on  the  wrong  track,  and  that  I  was  not  the 
missing  son  of  JOSEPH  TODD.  Great  interest  was, 
however,  occasioned  by  my  story,  and  many  ques 
tions  were  put  to  me.  I  showed  the  Presiding  El 
der  papers  given  me  in  proof  of  my  belonging  to 
the  Indian  tribe,  and  related  my  adventures.  Final 
ly  I  showed  them  my  dog,  scalping  knife  and  pipe. 


60  Matthew  Brayton, 

The  Presiding  Elder,  Mr.  ANSON  BRAZEE,  was  so 
much  interested  in  my  story  that  he  got  me  to  re 
peat  it  to  the  whole  meeting.  I  renamed  with  these 
people  throughout  the  meeting,  and  before  it  broke 
up,  I  became  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  truth  of 
the  Christian  religion,  and  joined  the  Church  of  the 
United  Brethren.  In  token  that  I  had  forever 
abandoned  the  bloody  practices  of  heathenism,  I 
broke  my  scalping  knife  in  two,  giving  the  handle 
and  part  of  the  blade  to  Ider  BRAZEE,  and  the 
other  part  of  the  blade  to  a  circuit  preacher  the 
Rev.  WILLIAM  MC!NTYRE.  When  the  camp  broke 
up  I  accompanied  the  Elder  arid  some  of  the  Min 
isters  to  a  Conference  in  Stark  county,  and  from 
thence  went  to  Williamsfield,  Ashtabula,  where  I 
stayed  with  some  farmers  belonging  to  the  Church 
of  the  United  Brethren. 

After  staying  with  these  good  people  about  a 
fortnight,  I  went  to  Monroe.  Ashtabula  county,  in 
search  of  some  information  that  I  expected  to  get 
there,  but  failed  to  obtain  anything  of  use,  I  then 
accepted  the  invitation  of  Elder  BRAZEE,  and  went 
to  his  house  in  Pierpont,  Ashtabula  county,  where 
I  stayed  a  short  time.  From  there  I  went  to  Con- 
neautville,  thence  to  Clark's  Corners,  and  to  Con- 
norsville.  From  that  place  the  minister  sent  a  let 
ter  to  Cleveland  stating  that  I  had  gone  into  Penn 
sylvania,  and  giving  directions  where  I  probably 
could  be  heard  of. 

I  continued  to  wander  from  place  to  place,  where- 
ever  the  faintest  hope  existed  of  my  getting  any 
information,  and  in  this  way  I  visited  Erie,  W  ater- 
ford,  Wattsburgh,  and  finally  reached  Warren,  Pa., 
where  the  Rev.  WILLIAM  Me  I  NTTRE  was  stationed. 
I  remained  with  him  a  short  time  and  then  retraced 
my  steps  to  Ashtabula  county,  after  which  I  again 


The  Indian  Captive.  61 

returned  to  Mr.  MC!NTYRE'S  and  from  thence  went 
to  Columbus,  Pa. 

My  hopes  of  finding  my  relatives  had  now  almost 
died  out.  Nearly  six  months  had  passed,  but  I 
seemed  no  nearer  the  object  of  my  search  than  I  was 
when  I  left  St.  Paul.  Wearied  out  with  fruitless 
efforts,  I  had  resolved  to  make  one  rnore  attempt, 
and  if  that  failed,  to  abandon  the  search  for  ever  and 
return  to  my  tribe  on  the  approach  of  Spring.  My 
eyes  remained  very  bad,  and  I  therefore  labored  under 
great  disadvantages,  having  to  be  careful  lest  the 
inflammation  should  increase  and  destroy  my  sight. 
I  had  gone  to  school  for  a  few  days  in  Pennsylva 
nia,  but  the  state  of  my  eyes  compelled  me  reluc 
tantly  to  abandon  the  idea  for  the  present,  at  least. 

From  Oolumbus  I  went  to  Sugar  Grove  Warren 
county.  Pa.,  close  to  the  New  York  State  line.  My 
intention  was  to  remain  there  a  day  or  two,  and 
then  set  out  for  the  Cattaraugus  Indian  Reservation 
where  I  intended  making  my  last  effort  at  obtaining 
information.  If  I  failed  there  I  meant  either  to  re 
turn  to  the  iiev.  Mr  MG!NTYRE'S  residence  and  at 
tend  school  for  the  Winter,  or  go  into  Canada  and 
remain  with  the  Indians  until  Spring,  when  it  would 
be  time  to  return  toSt  Paul.  On  the  18th  of  No 
vember  I  was  at  Sugar  Grove  when  Mr.  W.  T. 
SMITH,  a  farmer  living  in  New  York  State  just 
across  the  line,  drove  up  with  his  wagon  early  in 
the  morning  to  take  me  to  his  house,  where  I  was 
to  stay  a  few  days  previous  to  leaving  for  the  Cat 
taraugus  Reservation.  I  little  dreamed,  when  I 
arrived  at  the  house,  that  the  end  of  m/  journey - 
ings  was  so  near,  and  that  the  object  of  the  search 
which  I  had  almost  abandoned  in  despair  was  al 
ready  within  a  few  hours  of  attainment. 


62  Matthew   Braytov, 

CHAPTER  X. 

FOUND   AT   LAST. 

The  narration  of  the  circumstances  which  led 
to  the  discovery  of  MATTHEW  BRAYTON  by  his 
relatives  requires  us  to  go  back  a  little  from  the 
point  to  which  his  account  has  brought  the  reader. 
The  intervening  years  between  the  loss  of 
MATTHEW  BRAYTON  by  his  relatives  and  the  pres 
ent  time  have  caused  many  changes  in  the  neigh 
borhood  once  so  excited  in  concequence  of  that 
loss.  The  red  men  clung  for  many  years  to  their 
last  foothold  in  Ohio,  Four  years  after  the  loss 
of  the  boy,  the  Delawares  left  their  village  be 
low  Upper  Sandusky,  and  set  out  for  their  new 
homes  farther  West.  Two  years  afterwards  tke 
Senecas  extinguished  their  council  fires  and  sought 
a  resting  place  nearer  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
But  the  Wyandotsheld  tenaciously  to  their  homes, 
and  eighteen  years  passed  away  before  they 
finally  consented  to  abandon  Ohio  lo  the  exclu 
sive  occupation  of  the  white  race. 

Fine  farms  now  cover  the  site  of  the  waste  land 
and  woods  over  and  through  which  the  weary 
hunt  for  the  missing  boy  was  conducted  day  af 
ter  day.  Towns  and  villages  have  sprung  up 
where  humble  log  cabins  here  and  there  stood  in 
the  incipient  clearings,  and  the  huts  of  the  red 
skins  have  passed  away  forever. 

The  sturdy  farmer,  ELIJAH  BRAYTON,  who 
once  returned  to  his  cabin  from  the  weary  jour 
ney  to  Chillicothe  after  millstones,  and  was  met 
by  news  that  made  the  blood  forsake  his  parental 


Tht  Indian  Captive.  63 

heart  in  a  sudden  rush,  had  passed  by  some  years 
the  allotted  period  of  man's  life,  and  is  fast  pro 
gressing  towards  his  fourscore  years.  WILLIAM, 
the  boy  of  sixteen  who  had  set  out  with  his  little 
brother  on  that  search  for  stray  cattle,  but  had 
returned  without  him,  has  reached  the  meridian 
of  life,  and  sees  around  him  a  young  family 
springing  up.  Long  since,  the  paternal  cabin 
near  the  Tymochte  Creek  has  disappeared,  and 
two  or  three  miles  away  from  it,  somewhere  in 
the  direction  where  the  two  brothers  had  separa 
ted  thirty -four  years  ago,  a  fine  brick  house  has 
become  the  dwelling  of  the  oldest  son  of  ELIJAH 
BRAYTON.  Up  at  Springville,  some  five  or  six  miles 
farther  to  the  northwest,  and  at  no  great  distance 
from  the  trail  on  which  the  young  boy  was  borne 
off  by  the  thieving  Canadian  Indians,  lives  an 
other  brother,  PETER,  and  one  of  the  married  sis 
ters.  Here  also  lives  the  patriarch  himself. 
There  are  other  sisters  who  mourned  when  their 
brother  was  lost,  and  they  too  are  married.  A 
son  and  daughter  born  to  the  patriarch  of  the 
family  after  the  loss  of  MATTHEW,  have  long  since 
died,  and  another  son,  ASA,  younger  yet,  pursues 
the  practice  of  medicine  in  the  adjoining  town  of 
Carey, 

The  publication  of  the  "Indian  Captive's"  nar 
rative  in  the  Cleveland  Herald  was  the  means  of 
creating  considerable  interest  in  his  fortunes. 
The  story  was  extensively  copied,  and  several 
letters  were  received  by  the  editors  of  that  paper 
from  people  in  different  sections  of  the  country 
who  had  lost  children  many  years  ago,  it  was 


64  Matthew  Bray  ton, 

supposed  by  means  of  Indians.  None  of  these 
letters  afforded  any  c'ue  by  which  the  Indian 
Captive  cou  d  trace  out  his  family. 

A  weekly  paper  containing  the  story,  copied 
f  o  ri  the  Cleveland  Herald,  was  sent  by  a  friend 
to  the  BRAYTONS,  and  this  first  gave  them  an  idea 
tha  there  might  be  a  possibility  of  recovering 
the  miss  ng  member  of  the  family.  On  the  26th 
of  September,  one  month  after  the  first  publica 
tion  of  the  narrative,  Dr.  ASA  BRAYTON  wrote 
to  the  editors  of  the  Herald,  stating  the  man 
ner  in  which  he  had  met  with  the  article,  and 
giving  some  particulars  of  the  method  in  which 
his  brother  MATTHEW  had  been  lost.  About  a 
week  afterwards  a  cousin  of  the  Doctor  called  at 
the  office  of  tha  paper,  and  made  en  ju  ries  res 
pecting  the  Indian  Captive.  Fie  was  followed  in 
a  few  days  by  Mr.  PETER  BRAYTON,  one  of  the 
brothers  of  the  missing  MATTHEW,  who  went  to 
Warren,  0.,  in  seaich  of  ihe  '"Captive,"  but  lost 
trace  of  him  there  and  returned  discouraged. 

The  interest  in  the  subject  did  not  abate,  and 
from  time  to  time  the  Herald  gave  some  intelli 
gence  regarding  the  wanderings  of  the  "Indian 
Captive."  The  more  the  BRAYTONS  considered 
the  mat  er  the  stronger  was  their  desire  to  satis 
fy  themselves,  and  on  the  tenth  of  November 
WILLIAM  BRAYTON,  the  eldest  brother,  who  had 
accompanied  MATTHEW  on  the  morning  of  the 
day  when  the  latter  was  lost,  set  out  with  the 
determination  of  not  returning  until  he  could  sat 
isfy  himself  as  to  whether  the  ' 'Indian  Captive'' 
was  identical  with  his  lost  brother,  or  not. 


The  Indian  Captive.  65 

Previous  to  setting  out,  WILT  JAM  was  charged 
by  his  father  to  examine  the  man  for  two  marks 
by  which  his  identity  could  probably  be  estab 
lished.  One  was  a  scar  on  the  top  of  the  head, 
caused  by  a  razor  cut  which  the  father  had  made 
in  lancing  a  boil,  and  the  other  was  a  scar  on 
the  great  toe  of  the  right  foot,  resulting  from  the 
cut  of  an  axe. 

WILLIAM  BRAYTON  came  to  Cleveland  and 
learned  that  the  person  of  whom  he  was  in 
search  had  been  heard  of  in  Northern  Pennsyl 
vania,  and  was  directed  where  to  go.  At  the 
place  pointed  out  he  struck  the  trail  of  the  "Cap 
tive,"  and  traced  him  to  Sugar  Grove.  Here  he 
learned  that  the  man  had  crossed  the  State  line 
into  New  York.  The  chase  was  too  near  at  an 
end  to  allow  any  delay,  so  Mr.  BKAYTON  took 
along  a  doctor  as  witness  of  the  interview,  and 
set  out  for  the  house  of  Mr.  SMITH,  where  it  was 
said  that  the  "Captive"  had  gone. 

It  was  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  when  the 
two  arrived  at  the  house,  and  the  daylight  was 
fast  fading  into  darkness.  They  knocked  at  the 
door,  and,  in  response  to  an  invitation  from  with 
in,  entered  the  house.  A  man,  with  his  boots 
off,  was  drying  his  feet  at  the  fire.  Mr.  BKAYTON 
stepped  forward  eagerly  and  enquired  where  the 
"folks"  were,  and  was  told  they  were  out  doing 
some  work  in  the  yard.  Mr.  BRAYTON  said  he 
wanted  them  called  in,  and  wished  a  light  struck 
at  once,  following  up  the  request  with  the  ques 
tion  whether  the  man  to  whom  he  spoke  was  the 
"Indian  Captive."  On  being  told  in  the  affirma- 


66  Matthew  Brayton, 

tive  he  became  greatly  agitated  and  proceeded 
at  once  to  get  a  light.  The  "Captive"  hastily 
drew  on  his  boots,  buckled  his  dog  to  his  belt, 
and  drew  back  with  suspicion  from  the  strangers. 
As  soon  as  the  light  was  obtained  Mr.  BRAYTON 
bade  the  "Captive"  bare  his  head,  and  then 
both  he  and  his  companion  examined  the  spot 
where  his  father  had  told  them  to  search  for  the 
scar.  The  emotion  of  WILLIAM  BRAYTON  may 
be  imagined  when  the  scar  was  plainly  revealed 
to  his  eyes,  unmistakeable  in  its  character,  and 
situated  precisely  where  he  had  been  told  to  look 
for  it.  In  an  agitated  voice  he  bade  the  man 
take  the  boot  from  his  right  foot,  which  was  done, 
and  there  too  was  a  scar  visible,  just  where  it 
had  been  described  to  exist. 

The  emotions  of  WILLIAM  BRAYTON  may  be 
imagined,  but  cannot  be  portrayed.  The  broth 
er  for  whose  loss  he  had  always  reproached  him 
self  was  at  length  found  through  his  means,  and 
the  sorrows  of  thirty -four  years  were  at  an  end. 
For  some  minutes  he  paced  up  and  down  the 
room,  his  whole  frame  convulsed  with  agitation. 
Then  he  turned  to  the  cause  of  all  this  emotion, 
who  sat  perfectly  astonished  at  the  proceedings, 
and  the  ''Indian  Captive"  was  declared  to  be  the 
long  lost  MATTHEW  BRAYTON. 

A  letter  was  at  once  sent  home,  containing  the 
glad  news  of  the  discovery,  and,  as  soon  as  pos 
sible,  the  re-united  brothers  set  out  in  the  same 
direction. 

At  every  station  on  the  road  home,  crowds 
gathered,  and  at  Carey,  where  they  were  ex- 


The    Indian  Captive.  67 

pected  to  stop,  hundreds  were  collected.  Old 
men  who  had  searched  for  the  lost  boy — aged 
mothers  who  had  held  him  in  their  arms — young 
men  who  had  heard  the  story  narrated  by  their 
parents.  But  the  couple  stopped  five  miles  north 
of  Carey,  at  Adrian  Station,  and  at  once  started 
for  WILLIAM  BKAYTON'S  house. 

Here  the  family  were  gathered.  The  old  man, 
seventy-three  years  of  age,  but  still  hale  and 
vigorous — the  brothers  and  the  sisters.  When  the 
oldest  brother  entered  with  his  charge  the  intense 
feeling  that  prevailed  the  hearts  of  all  in  the 
room  can  scarcely  be  imagined — cannot  be  de 
scribed.  The  aged  father  arose,  placed  his  trem 
bling  hand  on  the  head  of  the  stranger,  and 
searched  for  the  scar,  which  he  could  scarcely 
distinguish  through  the  mist  that  filled  his  eyes. 
Then  he  knelt  to  examine  the  foot.  For  a  mo 
ment  every  breath  was  hushed,  and  the  hearts  of 
the  other  relatives  almost  ceased  to  beat.  Then 
the  old  man  tottered  to  his  feet,  and  with  a  gush 
of  tears — the  stream  of  affection  that  had  been 
pent  up  for  the  third  of  a  century — fell  on  the 
neck  of  his  son — MATTHEW  BRAYTON!  It  is 
useless  to  atttempt  a  description  of  the  scene 
that  followed.  The  father  that  had  so  long  se 
cretly  mourned  for  his  child — the  household  pet; 
the  brother  who  never  forgot  that  it  was  from  his 
company  that  the  little  boy  had  passed  away  to 
a  mysterious  fat  ;  the  other  brother  who  had 
been  his  playmate ;  the  sisters  who  had  fondled 
their  little  brother  in  infancy — all  were  gathered 
to  share  in  that  happy  meeting.  There  was  one 


68         Matthew  Bray  ton,  the  Indian  Captive. 

absent  whose  presence  was  needed  to  make  the 
cup  of  j  >y  full  to  overflowing,  but  her  motherly 
heart  might  perhaps  even  then  be  rejoicing  in 
heaven  for  the  happiness  on  earth. 

The  news  of  the  return  spread  like  wildfire. 
The  return  was  on  Thursday  the  17th  of  Novem 
ber.  For  days  afterwards  the  house  was  besieg 
ed  by  anxious  people  eager  to  see  the  "boy"  so 
long  lost,  and  so  strangely  found.  Old  men  who 
had  shared  with  zeal  in  that  weary  and  h  >peless 
search  thirty-four  years  ;igo,  came  up,  and  all  who 
had  known  him  as  a  little  boy,  acknowledged  the 
identity. 

At  present  MATTHEW  BRAYTON,  the  hero  of 
these  strange  adventures,  is  residing  with  his  fath 
er  and  brothers,  and  has  become  somewhat  recon 
ciled  to  civilized  life.  He  has  abandoned  his  de 
sign  of  returning  to  the  Indians,  and  is  endeavor 
ing  to  fit  himself  for  the  different  lot  now  assign 
ed  him.  He  has  attended  school  as  frequently 
as  the  state  of  his  eyes  permitted,  and  can  now 
read  a  little,  as  well  as  converse  very  readily  in 
the  English  Lm^uage.  After  his  thirty-four 
years  of  wanderings  and  hardships  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  he  will  now  be  content  to  remain 
among  his  family  and  partake  to  the  full  of  the 
blessings  of  civilization. 


